BANCROFT    LIBRARY 


hlFE 


BRIGHT  YOUNG 


SALT   LAKE  CITY,    UTAH. 

GEORGE  Q,  GANNON  &  SONS  CO.,  PUBLISHERS. 

1893. 


LIFE.0F  BRI6HAM  Y0aN6. 


"  When  questions  pregnant  with  great  events  pressed  hard,  he  was 
able  to  build  upon  the  firm  foundation  of  wisdom  and  justice,  forecast  the 
future,  meet  the.  demands  of  the  present,  and  then  in  a  breath  show  his 
confidence  in  God,  his  freedom  from  care,  by  caressing  the  lips  of  innocent 
childhood  and  tenderly  winning  the  love  of  babes." — Moses  Thatcher. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH: 

GEO.  Q.  CANNON  &  SONS  CO.,  PUBLISHERS. 

1893. 


COPYRIGHT  APPLIED  FXDR. 


, 

ifc- 

LB-iSr  1  /t4 


PREFACE. 


THE  following  pages  contain  a  brief  outline  of  the 
leading  events  in  the  career  of  Brigham  Young,  the 
Founder  of  Utah.  It  has  been  a  difficult  task  to  con- 
dense, into  the  compass  of  a  few  pages,  the  story  of  a 
life  so  full  of  important  history  as  was  his,  and  neces- 
sarily the  result  of  such  an  effort  must  be  imperfect. 

Disclaiming  originality,  save  in  the  arrangement, 
the  author  has  woven  the  fabric  of  his  interesting  theme 
from  the  threads  of  a  score  of  historical  works.  Facts 
have  been  culled  especially  from  Tullidge's  "Life";  of 
Brigham  Young;  or  Utah  and  Her  Founders,"  and 
"History  of  Salt  Lake  City;"  Whitney's  "History  of 
Utah,"  Vols.  1  and  2;  Bancroft's  "History  of  Utah;" 
"Autobiography  of  Parley  P.  Pratt;"  Cannon's  "Life  of 
Joseph  Smith,"  and  "History  of  the  Mormons;" 
Jenson's  "Historical  Record;"  "Death  of  President 
Young;"  "The  Contributor,"  and  other  book?. 

The  aim  has  been  to  make  this  '"Life"  reliable  and 
accurate,  in  matters  of  fact;  and  the  purpose,  to  interest 
the  new  generation  of  citizens  in  the  great  founder  of 
our  Territory, — a  man  whose  genius  is  apparent  in  every 
city  and  village  of  our  prosperous  commonwealth. 

THE  AUTHOR. 

July,   1893. 


CONTENTS. 


1.    GENERAL  SKETCH. 

.*.  9 

II.     THE  PERIOD  OF  PREPARATION. 

FROM   BIRTH     TO   BAPTISM 13 

MEETING     THE    PROPHET 15 

WITH     ZION'S    CAMP 18 

CHOSEN     AN    APOSTLE .  .  .         .  19 

A   PILLAR   OF    STRENGTH   TO   THE   PROPHET 21 

THE   FLIGHT    TO    ILLINOIS 26 

FULFILLING    A    PROPHECY 31 

ACROSS    THE     WATER 32 

IN    NAUVOO. THE    MARTYRDOM 37 

III.     LEADER  OF  THE  MODERN  EXODUS. 

BRIGHAM    YOUNG    SUCCEEDS    JOSEPH    SMITH 44 

BOGUS  BRIGHAM 49 

PERSECUTIONS     AND      ADVICE 52 

COMMANDED   TO   LEAVE  THE    STATE 55 

THE    EXODUS ~ .  56 

THE  PRESIDENT'S  WISDOM  AND  WATCHCARE 60 

THE    MORMON  BATTALION 64 

WITH   THE  PIONEERS 69 

INCIDENTS   OF   THE    PIONEER    JOURNEY 76 

EXPLORATION  AND  RETURN   TO  THE    MISSOURI.  .  : 83 

CHOSEN  PRESIDENT   OF  THE  CHURCH.  .  89 


Till  CONTENTS. 

IV.     THE  FOUNDING  OF  UTAH. 

IMPORTANT    CONSIDERATIONS 93 

THE    GOLD    EXCITEMENT 95 

COLONIZATION 98 

APPOINTED   GOVERNOR  OF     UTAH 103 

LEADING    EVENTS     OF    THE    TERM 113 

REAPPOINTED    GOVERNOR 120 

THE   CALAMITIES  OF    1856 122 

THE    UTAH  WAR 125 

BRIGHAM    YOUNG'S    LOYALTY    AND    ENTERPRISE 139 

PERSECUTION   AND   ARREST 148 

ONE  DAY   IX    THE    PENITENTIARY 163 

HIS   CLOSING  YEARS 166 

PERSONAL    CHARACTERISTICS  ..  170 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG. 


I.     GENERAL  SKETCH. 

IN  time  it  will  be  acknowledged  that  among  the 
great  historical  characters  of  our  country  no  person  occu- 
pies a  more  distinct  position  than  Brigham  Young.  Born 
in  our  own  country,  his  acts  are  as  distinctively  American 
as  are  those  of  any  other  hero  who  has  ever  aided  in  the 
furtherance  of  our  national  prosperity,  from  the  father  of 
his  country  to  the  saviors  of  the  Union. 

In  the  Old  World,  men  who  have  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  struggles  of  their  time,  towering  above  their 
fellows,  have  generally  risen  to  eminence  by  means  of 
either  the  royalty  of  birth  or  that  of  education..  On  this' 
continent,  on  the  contrary,  occasions  have  demanded 
men,  and  these  have  been  found,  ready  at  call  to  answer 
the  summons  of  their  day.  They  have  been  poor,  often 
uneducated,  but  they  were  practical,  popular,  fervent,  and 
just  the  men  for  their  work.  To  such  natures  the  people 
have  instinctively  turned  for  aid  in  the  hour  of  need. 
Brigham  Young  was  a  man  of  this  class.  He  was  a  man 
of  the  age,  and  when  the  appeal  for  aid  was  sounded,  he 
was  on  hand  as  if  by  design  of  destiny  to  answer  to  the 
2 


10  THE  LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

requirements.  His  parents  being  poor,  he  had  no  oppor- 
tunity for  an  early  education,  and  in  youth  gave  no 
special  promise  of  that  strength  of  will  and  force  of 
character  which  he  afterward  so  abundantly  exemplified  in 
his  leadership  of  the  Mormons. 

But  like  the  great  Jewish  deliverer,  Moses,  who,  flee- 
ing from  the  wrath  of  his  king,  departed  to  the  desert  of 
Midian  to  fit  himself  by  study  and  meditation  for  the 
strenuous  tasks  of  after  life,  so  Brigham  Young,  the 
liberator  of  modern  Israel,  had  his  period  of  preparation. 
He  was  over  thirty  years  of  age  when  he  adopted  the 
faith  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  it  was  during  the 
trying  time  of  twelve  years,  from  his  baptism,  in  1832, 
until  his  return  to  Nauvoo  upon  receiving  the  tidings  of 
the  martyrdom,  that  every  surrounding  vicissitude  tended 
to  prepare  him  for  his  future  life-work. 

Called  to  be  an  Apostle  three  years  after  his  initia- 
tion into  the  Church,  he  six  years  thereafter,  upon  the 
apostasy  of  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  and  the  death  of  David 
W.  Patten,  became  the  president  of  his  quorum,  being 
thus  practically  placed  next  to  the  Prophet,  who  ever 
held  him  very  dear.  He  extended  the  missionary  field 
•  among  the  red  men,  with  whom  he  must  afterward  so 
carefully  and  wisely  deal;  he  built  temples,  studied  and 
officiated  therein;  defended  his  Prophet  leader  during 
the  dark  days  of  the  Kirtland  apostasy;  passed  through  the 
bloody  scenes  of  Missouri,  leading  his  scattered  and 
driven  people,  amidst  poverty,  sickness  and  death,  to 
safety  and  rest  in  a  neighboring  friendly  State;  and 
finally  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  assist  in  planting  the  gos- 
pel standard  in  Great  Britain,  where  he  set  in  motion  the 
tide  of  emigration  which  has  brought  joy  to  the  hearts  of 
ten  thousand  poor. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  11 

Thus  did  the  all-wise  Power  which  shapes  our  des- 
tinies surround  Brigham  Young  with  the  educating  muta- 
tions and  influences  that  should  fit  him  for  his  after 
career  as  deliverer,  leader,  law-giver,  diplomat,  colonizer, 
statesman. 

It  is  in  what  may  be  termed  the  second  period  of  his 
life  that  his  capacity  and  power  so  abundantly  are  made 
manifest  As  if  it  were  designed  by  Providence  that  he 
should  not  be  present  to  prevent  the  martyrdom,  he  was 
on  a  mission  in  the  East  when  he  heard  of  the  sad  death 
of  the  Prophet,  and  upon  his  arrival  in  Nauvoo  the 
inhabitants  of  the  fated  Mormon  city  by  natural  impulse 
turned  to  him  for  help.  He  silenced  their  divisions, 
calmed  their  fears,  inspired  them  with  courage  and  hope, 
until  the  multitude  felt  and  confessed  that  the  spirit 
which  had  moved  Joseph  in  his  work  was  living  in  Brig- 
ham  Young. 

With  matchless  will  and  energy  he  laid  hold  of  the 
stupendous  exodus  .of  a  people,  and,  amidst  indescribable 
suffering  and  hardship,  piloted  them  through  the  deserts 
and  over  the  mountains  to  a  new  home  in  the  wilderness. 

In  the  crowning  period  of  his  career  he  founded,  in 
this  new  retreat,  a  commonwealth,  to  which  he  invited 
thousands  of  the  poor  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 
rescued  them  from  poverty  and  raised  them  to  indepen- 
dence, taught  them  honesty,  thrift,  industry,  patriotism 
for  their  adopted  country,  and,  with  the  keen  foresight  of 
a  statesman,  showed  them  how  to  develop  the  hidden 
resources  of  their  surroundings.  He  founded  hundreds  of 
cities  and  towns,  and  completed  for  his  people  an  organi- 
zation unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of  history. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  he  was  their  spiritual 
guide  and  their  temporal  leader,  and  dying  he  left  upon 


12  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

them  and  their  institutions  the  impress  of  his  master 
mind  and  character. 

Thus  we  have  a  brief  outline  of  the  marvelous  work 
which  Brigham  Young  performed.  The  question  may 
naturally  arise  in  the  mind  of  the  reader,  Whence  the 
origin  of  this  wisdom,  this  ability?  Was  it  the  result  of 
his  own  study  and  meditation,  or  was  it  brought  about 
by  the  power  and  inspiration  of  the  Almighty?  We 
must  in  this  matter  consider  his  own  testimony.  For  all 
he  did,  he  gave  to.  God  the  glory.  He  was  a  strong 
believer  in  the  divine  mission  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  testi- 
fied with  firmness  that  he  himself  was  inspired  of  the 
Lord.  As  well  deny  the  fabric  which  we  see,  as  reject 
the  positive  statement  of  the  builder  that  he  was  of  God 
instructed. 

If  men  count  his  work  as  the  mere  result  of  human 
intellect,  they  deny  the  declaration  of  the  man  himself, 
who  performed  it,  and  refuse  to  accept  the  settled  belief 
of  the  thousands  who  aided  him  in  its  accomplishment. 

It  detracts  nothing  from  his  fame  that  he  did  not 
originate  the  doctrines,  designs  and  theories  which  he 
enunciated,  carried  on,  and  brought  to  a  successful  issue. 
He  was  a  fulfiller  of  prophecy,  the  chosen  instrument  of 
God — fame  enough.  It  is  natural  that  a  man  like  Brigham 
Young,  and  a  cause  such  as  he  represented,  had  and  has 
enemies — his  closing  years  were  embittered  by  them — but 
even  the  most  virulent  of  these  must  admit  that  he  was  a 
man  of  unusual  mental  force,  courageous,  undaunted,  in 
his  calling  successful. 

Whatever  may 'be  the  outcome  of  the  doctrines  which 
he  promulgated,  whatever  the  fate  of  the  people  for  whose 
prosperity  and  welfare  he  devoted  his  life's  energies,  so 
much  success  has  attended  him  and  them  that  he  will 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG.  13 

ever  be  regarded  as  one  of  our   nation's    great    men,    one 
of  its  most  wonderful  characters. 


II.     THE  PERIOD.  OF  PREPARATION. 


FROM    BIRTH    TO    BAPTISM. 

The  years  intervening  between  the  birth  of  the  great 
Mormon  leader  and  his  return  to  Nauvoo,  just  after  the 
martyrdom  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  may  be  regarded 
as  the  time  during  which  an  all-wise  Creator  prepared 
him  by  a  variety  of  trying  experiences  for  effectively 
accomplishing  his  great  after  achievements.  Let  us  take 
a  hasty  view  of  the  leading  incidents  of  this  period. 

Brigham  Young  was  born  in  the  daybreak  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  June  1st,  1801,  in  Whitingham, 
Windham  County,  Vermont.  His  father,  John,  was  born 
March  7th,  1763,  in  Hopkmton,  Middlesex  County, 
Massachusetts,  and  at  an  early  age  enlisted  in  the  Ameri- 
can Revolutionary  Army,  serving  under  General  Wash- 
ington. His  grandfather,  Joseph  Young,  served  in  the 
French  and  Indian  war. 

In  a  family  of  five  sons  and  six  daughters  Brigham 
was  the  ninth  child.  The  family  removed  to  Whiting- 
ham  in  1801,  where  his  father  continued  his  occupation 
of  farming,  remaining  in  that  region  for  three  years.  In 
1804  they  removed  to  Sherburn,  Shenango  County,  New 
York.  Their  financial  circumstances  were  such  that  the 


14  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

children  could  only  be  given  a  common  school  training, 
and  Brigham  received  only  a  limited  amount  of  that. 
He  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  engaging  in  the 
arduous  labors  common  to  establishing  settlements  in  a 
new  and  heavily  timbered  region  of  country.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen,  by  permission  of  his  father,  he  began  business 
for  himself,  earning  his  sustenance  as  best  he  could. 
Like  every  thoughtful  youth,  he  adopted  a  trade,  through 
which,  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  he  was  taught  the 
nobility  of  labor.  He  learned  how  to  work  as  carpenter, 
joiner,  painter  and  glazier,  in  the  last  of  which  occupa- 
tions he  was  an  expert  craftsman. 

Up  to  this  time,  though  trained  by  his  parents  to 
lead  a  moral  life,  he  had  taken  little  interest  in  religion, 
but  the  family  were  Methodists,  and  he  naturally  inclined 
to  their  belief,  joining  that  sect  when  he  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1824,  he  married  Miriam 
Works,  in  Aurelius,  Cayuga  County,  New  York.  In  this 
place  he  labored  for  a  number  of  years,  in  his  chosen 
vocation,  gaining  an  experience  that  was  of  untold  value 
to  him  when  later  he  stood  with  his  people  amidst  the 
undeveloped  resources  of  the  wilderness.  In  the  spring 
of  1829  he  moved  to  Mendon,  Monroe  County,  New 
York,  where  his  father  then  resided.  It  was  here,  in  the 
spring  of  1830,  that  he  first  saw  a  copy  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  which  had  been  left  at  the  home  of  his  brother 
Phineas,  by  Samuel  H.  Smith,  a  brother  of  the  Prophet. 

Mormonism  was  at  this  time  taking  root  in  the 
western  part  of  New  York  and  in  northern  Pennsylvania, 
and  Elders  occasionally  came  preaching  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. It  was  not,  however,  until  after  a  visit  to  a  branch 
of  the  Church  in  Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  in  January, 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  15 

1832,  in  company  with  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  his  brother 
Phineas,  formerly  a  reformed  Methodist  preacher,  but 
now  a  convert  to  Mormonism,  that  he  was  deeply 
impressed  with  the  principles  of  the  new  religion  upon 
which  he  now  carefully  and  prayerfully  reflected.  In  this 
state  of  mind  he  hastened  to  Canada  to  repeat  the  tid- 
ings to  his  brother  Joseph,  who  was  then  preaching  the 
Methodist  faith.  Singular  enough,  he  also  accepted  the 
testimony,  when  they  returned  together  and  promptly 
united  themselves  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  Brigham  was  baptized  on  the  14th 
day  of  April,  1832,  by  Elder  Eleazer  Miller,  being  that 
evening,  also  by  the  same  person,  confirmed  and  ordained 
an  Elder.  His  faithful  wife  followed  him  into  the  waters 
of  baptism  some  three  weeks  thereafter,  but  she  did  not 
live  long  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the  gospel,  for  on  the 
8th  of  September  following  she  died,  leaving  him  two 
daughters — one  two  years  of  age  and  the  other  seven. 

About  this  time  many  people  were  baptized  in  and 
about  Mendon,  and  Brigham,  with  his  friend  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  who  had  also  joined  the  Church,  ordained  to 
the  ministry,  rendered  efficient  service  to  the  cause  there- 
about. 


2.       MEETING    THE    PROPHET. 

In  the  meantime  a  revelation  had  been  given, 
through  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  calling 
upon  Oliver  Cowdery,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Peter  Whitmer 
and  Ziba  Peterson  to  go  into  the  wilderness  through  the 
western  States,  and  to  the  Indian  Territory,  to  preach  the 
gospel  .to  the  Indians  and  present  to  them  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  It  had  already  been  conceived  by  Joseph  "that 


16  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

the  West,  and  not  the  East,  was  the  field  of  Mor- 
monism's  greater  destiny,"  and  he  looked  in  that  direc- 
tion for  a  Zion  which  was  to  be  "called  the  New 
Jerusalem  a  land  of  peace,  a  city  of  refuge,  a  place  of 
safety  for  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High  God."  Hence  the 
sending  of  these  first  missionaries  to  the  West. 

The  Elders  left  New  York  late  in  October,  1830,  to 
fill  their  missions.  On  their  way  they  tarried  in  Kirt- 
land,  then  a  city  of  probably  two  thousand  inhabitants, 
where  they  preached  the  gospel.  They  were  very  success- 
ful, and  within  three  weeks  after  their  arrival  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  souls  were  baptized,  which  number  soon 
grew  to  over  a  thousand,  many  of  whom  afterward 
became  noted  in  the  chronicles  of  the  Church.  The  loca- 
tion of  the  City  of  Zion,  referred  to  above,  had  not  yet 
been  declared,  but  it  was  understood  generally  that  it 
would  be  situated  "on  the  borders  by  the  Lamanites, "  or 
Indians.  Before  proceeding  further  west,  the  Elders 
reported  their  labors  and  success  to  the  Prophet,  and  he 
soon  realized  that  Kirtland  would  be  a  suitable  resting 
place  for  the  Saints,  a  Stake  of  Zion,  where  the  Church 
could  remain  until  it  should  gather  strength  to  build  this 
central  city.  Accordingly,  before  the  close  of  the  year 
the  word  went  forth  to  his  followers  in  the  East  to  dis- 
pose of  their  possessions,  remove  West,  and  "assemble 
together  on  the  Ohio."  The  Prophet  himself  arrived  for 
the  first  time  in  Kirtland  in  February,  1831.  Having  set 
the  branch  in  order,  and  at  a  general  conference  June 
6th,  called  a  number  of  Elders  to  bear  the  gospel  to  the 
Missouri  frontiers,  he  departed  for  that  region  June 
19th.  He  went  to  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  and  selected 
the  country  about  Independence  as  the  location  upon 
which  was  to  be  built  the  "City,"  the  New  Jerusalem. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  17 

The  Center  Stake  of  Zion  was  afterward  dedicated, 
August  9th,  for  the  gathering  of  Israel.  Having  thus 
selected  the  site,  he  returned  to  Kirtland. 

In  the  spring  following  the  Prophet  made  a  second 
visit  to  Missouri,  returning  to  Kirtland  early  in  May, 
1832.  It  was  shortly  after  this  latter  visit  that  he  first 
met  his  destined  successor,  Brigham  Young,  who,  with 
his  brother  Joseph  and  Heber  C.  Kimball,  had  come  to 
greet  him.  The  visiting  Elders  found  him  engaged  in 
manual  labor — chopping  wood  in  the  forest.  They  were 
kindly  welcomed,  and  Brigham  rejoiced  in  receiving  a 
sure  testimony,  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  that  Joseph 
was  a  true  Prophet.  They  spent  the  evening  in  speaking 
of  the  gospel  and  the  things  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
Called  upon  to  pray,  Brigham  spoke  in  tongues,  the 
language  which  he  used  being  pronounced  the  pure 
Adamic  by  the  Prophet,  who  likewise  said,  "It  is  of 
God;  and  the  time  will  come  when  Brother  Brig^iam 
will  preside  over  this  Church."  The  latter  remark,  how- 
ever, was  not  uttered  in  the  visitors'  hearing. 

After  a  brief  visit,  Brigham  and  his  brother  Joseph 
went  on  foot  to  Canada  to  again  engage  in  the  ministry, 
the  former  making  two  trips  thither.  He  was  successful 
in  preaching,  baptizing,  and  in  organizing  branches;  and 
in  July,  1833,  had  his  first  experience  as  leader,  conduct- 
ing several  families  of  converts  to  Kirtland.  Thereafter, 
he  went  once  more  to  Mendon,  where  he  and  his  two 
daughters  dwelt  with  his  friend  Heber  C.  Kimball,  under 
whose  roof-tree  had  been  his  home  since  the  death  of  his 
wife.  That  fall  they  all  removed  to  Kirtland,  where  he 
labored  at  his  trade,  preaching  as  opportunity  offered. 


18  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

3.        WITH    ZIOX'S    CAMP. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged  in  the  East,  the  Saints 
in  Missouri,  now  numbering  over  twelve  hundred  souls, 
were  driven,  in  November,  1833,  from  their  homes  in 
Jackson  County,  by  a  murderous  mob.  Whipped,  plun- 
dered and  robbed  of  their  possessions,  they  sought  shel- 
ter across  the  river  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clay. 

It  was  in  order  to  counsel  with  the  Prophet,  and  to 
take  some  measures  for  the  relief  and  restoration  of  the 
people  thus  harassed  and  exiled  that  Parley  P.  Pratt  and 
Lyman  Wight  came  to  Kirtland  early  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  1834.  The  result  of  their  visit  was  a  further 
mission  East  by  these  and  other  Elders,  for  reasons  set 
forth  in  the  101st  and  103rd  Sections  of  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants;  and  finally  the  assembling  of  about  two  hun- 
dred men,  with  twenty  wagons  laden  with  supplies,  to 
carry  provisions  to  the  Saints  in  Missouri,  to  reinforce 
and  strengthen  them,  and  if  possible  to  influence  the 
Governor  to  restore  to  them  their  rights.  They  were 
also  to  "redeem  Zion,"  or  in  other  words,  seek  to  regain 
possession  of  the  lands  from  which  the  Saints  had  been 
driven  in  Jackson  County.  This  company  of  men  were 
organized  as  a  military  body,  led  by  the  Prophet  in  per- 
son as  general.  Such  was  the  expedition  known  as  Zion's 
Camp.  On  the  5th  of  May  one  hundred  men  departed 
from  Kirtland  for  Missouri,  and  the  remainder,  to  the 
number  of  two  hundred  and  five,  were  recruited  on  the 
way.  Without  being  able  to  attain  the  ends  for  which 
it  was  organized,  the  little  army  was  disbanded  soon 
after  arriving  at  its  destination. 

Brigham  Young  was  one  of  the  members  of  this  now 
famous  company.  He  acted  as  a  captain  of  ten,  and 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  19 

with  his  good  nature  and  faith  often  cheered  his  asso 
ciates  during  the  trials  encountered  on  the  way.  He  and 
his  brother  Joseph  were  the  singers  of  the  Camp,  and 
often  relieved  and  enlivened  the  tedium  of  the  journey 
by  their  spirited  songs.  Before  departing,  the  Prophet 
promised  Brigham  and  his  brother  Joseph  that  if  they 
would  go  with  him,  keeping  his  counsels,  they  should  be 
led  thither  and  back,  and  not  a  hair  of  their  heads 
should  be  harmed.  The  covenant  was  made  and  as 
faithfully  kept  both  returning  unharmed.  In  July,  Brig- 
•ham  returned  to  Kir.tland,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  the  year  in  labor  on  the  temple,  in  finishing  the  print- 
ing office  and  schoolroom,  and  assisting  in  the  various 
industries  which  the  Saints,  ever  busy,  were  establishing 
in  Kirtland,  the  "land  of  Shinehah. "  . 


4.        CHOSEN    AN    APOSTLE. 

If  it  be  conceded  that  Zion's  Camp  failed  in  accom- 
plishing the  ostensible  purposes  for  which  it  was 
organized,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  it  was  a  success  in 
trying  the  mettle  of  its  members.  A  journey  of  over  two 
thousand  miles  on  foot,  in  rain  and  mud,  exposed  to 
sickness  and  death,  is  sufficient  to  prove  the  tempera- 
ment, courage  and  fortitude  of  any  person  who  may 
engage  in  it.  It  may  be  possible  that  this  was  one  of 
the  objects  the  Prophet  had  in  view,  as  might  be  inferred 
from  the  next  important  measure  which  he^was  inspired 
to  adopt — the  choosing  of  Twelve  Apostles.  This  quorum 
is  next  in  authority  to  the  council  of  the  First  Presi- 
dency, which  was  composed  of  the  following  persons  at 
that  time:  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  President;  Sidney  Rigdon, 
First  Counselor;  Fredrick  G.  Williams,  Second  Counselor- 


20  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1835,  the  survivors  of 
Zion's  Camp  were  called  together,  and  from  their  num- 
bers were  chosen,  by  the  three  witnesses  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  Twelve  Apostles,  each  of  whom  was  blessed 
and  set  apart  by  the  First  Presidency.  Brigham  Young 
was  selected  as  one  of  the  Twelve,  and  according  to 
seniority  ranged  third  in  the  quorum;  Thomas  B.  Marsh 
and  David  W.  Patten  came  before  him,  and  following 
him,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Hyde,  William  E. 
McLellin,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Luke  Johnson,  William 
Smith,  Orson  Pratt,  John  F.  Boynton,  and  Lyman  E. 
Johnson. 

Soon  after  the  first  and  the  second  quorums  of  Seven- 
ties were  likewise  chosen  from  the  surviving  members  of 
Zion's  Camp. 

Early  in  May  the  Twelve  started  upon  their  first 
mission  to  the  Eastern  States.  The  duties  devolving 
upon  them  was  to  preach,  baptize,  advise  the  scattered 
Saints  to  gather  westward,  and  to  collect  means  for  the 
purchase  of  lands  in  Missouri,  and  for  the  completion  of 
the  Kirtland  Temple.  Brigham  Young,  in  addition,  seems 
to  have  been  called  specially  to  preach  to  the  Indians. 
"This,"  said  the  Prophet,  "will  open  the  doors  to  all  the 
seed  of  Joseph."  The  mission  was  successfully  per- 
formed; and  he  returned  to  spend  the  fall  and  winter  in 
Kirtland,  where,  "besides  engaging  in  the  ministry,  he 
superintended  the  painting  and  finishing  of  the  temple. 
A  portion  of  time  was  spent  in  study,  in  the  various 
schools  established  by  the  Prophet,  for,  as  in  after  years 
he  became  the  fulfiller  of  Joseph's  prophecies,  so  now  as 
ever  he  was  a  faithful  believer  in  the  benefits  to  be 
derived  from  following  the  Prophet's  educational 
precepts: 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  21 

"Seek  ye  out  of  the  best  books  words  of  wisdom; 
seek  learning  even  by  study  and  also  by  faith." 

"It  is  impossible  to  be  saved  in  ignorance." 

"A  man  is  saved  no  faster  than  he    gets  knowledge." 

"The  glory  of  God  is  intelligence." 

In  spite  of  the  neglect  of  his  early  teaching,  he  thus 
took  advantage  of  his  present  opportunities  until  he 
became  a  proficient  student  in  many  of  the  useful 
branches  of  learning. 

On  the  27th  day  of  March,  1836,  the  temple  at 
Kirtland  was  dedicated.  It  was  a  day  of  great  rejoicing, 
and  thereafter  many  miraculous  manifestations  were  here 
revealed,  some  of  which  are  recorded  in  the  110th  Sec- 
tion of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants.  In  this  holy  place 
the  Twelve  some  time  afterward  held  the  "solemn 
assembly,"  receiving  their  washings  and  anointings,  the 
"washing  of  feet"  being  administered  to  Brigham  by 
Joseph  himself. 

Having  thus  received  his  blessings,  he  was  again 
called  upon  to  perform  a  mission,  this  time  to  the 
Eastern  States,  traveling,  during  the  summer  of  1836, 
through  New  York,  Vermont,  Massachusetts  and  Rhode 
Island,  returning  in  the  fall  to  sustain  the  Prophet 
through  the  period  of  financial  ruin  and  apostasy  now 
threatening  Kirtland  like  the  dark  clouds  of  a  mighty 
storm. 

5.        A   PILLAR   OF    STRENGTH   TO   THE   PROPHET. 

A  few  words  now  concerning  the  Church  in  Missouri: 
Having  dwelt  in  Clay  County  about  three  years  in  amity, 
the  Saints  were  peacefully  requested  by  a  committee  of 
leading  citizens  to  "seek  some  other  abiding  place,  where 
the  manners,  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people  would 


22  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

be  more  consonant  with  their  own."  Some  strange 
reasons  were  assigned  for  this  entreaty:  the}7  had  done 
nothing  wrong,  they  were  at  peace  with  all,  but  "their 
religious  tenets  were  so  different  from  the  present 
churches  of  the  age;"  they  were  eastern  men,  whose  man- 
ners, habits,  customs  and  even  dialect  were  essentially 
different  from  the  Missourians;  they  were  non-slave- 
holders;" and  they  had  a  variety  of  other  faults,  amplified 
by  their  enemies  in  Jackson  County,  which  true  or  false 
rendered  them  objectionable  to  the  old  residents;  and  so, 
for  the  sake  of  friendship,  to  be  in  a  covenant  of  peace 
with  the  citizens  of  Clay  County,  and  to  show  gratitude 
to  those  who  had  befriended  them,  the  Saints  resolved,  at 
a  great  sacrifice  of  property,  to  comply  with  the  requisi- 
tion and  leave  the  county. 

In  September,  1836,  they  began  moving  to  their  new 
location  in  the  Shoal  Creek  region,  in  Ray  County,  north- 
east of  Clay,  which  was  then  a  wilderness.  In  answer 
to  their  petitions,  the  legislature  incorporated  the  Shoal 
Creek  region  and  some  adjoining  lands  in  December  of 
that  year,  and  thus  Caldwell  County  was  created,  in 
which  large  numbers  of  the  Saints  now  settled,  founding 
the  city  of  Far  West,  in  the  winter  of  1836-7. 

And  how  were  affairs  progressing  in  Kirtland,  mean- 
while? A  spirit  of  speculation  enveloped  the  whole 
community,  playing  havoc  with  the  faith  of  the  Saints 
and  of  the  leading  Elders.  All  kinds  of  schemes  were 
adopted  to  amass  wealth,  and  as  a  result  there  followed 
in  quick  succession  evil  surmisings,  fault-finding,  dis- 
union, dissensions,  apostasy,  and  finally  financial  ruin. 
The  disaffected  members  became  bitterly  hostile  to  the 
Prophet,  as  if  he  were  the  cause  of  the  very  evils  which 
he  struggled  most  to  avoid,  and  which  were  brought 


THE   LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  23 

upon  the  people  because  they  would  not  heed  his  coun- 
sels. In  this  serious  apostasy  which  occurred,  about 
one-half  of  the  Apostles,  one  of  the  First  Presidency  and 
many  leading  Elders  became  disloyal  to  Joseph,  declaring 
him  to  be  a  "fallen  prophet." 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1873,  while  these  radical  changes 
were  in  progress,  the  Lord  revealed  to  Joseph  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  for  the  salvation  of  the  Church. 
That  something  was  the  sending  of  Elders  to  preach  the 
gospel  in  foreign  lands.  Accordingly,  Heber  C.  Kimball 
was  chosen  and  set  apart  to  preside  over  a  mission  to 
England,  with  Orson  Hyde  as  his  companion.  Brigham 
Young's  cousin  Willard  Richards,*  was  called  to  accom- 
pany them.  Heber  was  very  desirous  that  Brigham 
should  go  also;  his  faithfulness  entitled  him  to  the  dis- 
tinction and  honor  of  being  among  the  first  to  proclaim 
the  gospel  in  a  foreign  nation,  but  the  Prophet  answered: 

"No;  I  want  him  to  stay  with  me.  I  have  something 
else  for  him  to  do. " 

The  wisdom  of  this  decision  was  subsequently  made 
manifest. 

Four  other  Elders  joined  those  already  named,  and 
together  they  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  1st  day  of 
July,  1873,  to  fill  their  mission.  They  were  very  success- 
ful, and  when  they  departed  for  America  on  the  12th  day 
of  May,  the  following  year,  they  had  organized  twenty- 
six  branches  of  the  Church,  with  a  membership  of  about 
two  thousand  souls.  The  opening  of  this  mission  was 


*Willard  Richards,  afterward  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Church,  was 
the  first  of  the  renowned  Richards  family  to  join  the  Saints.  In  the  fall  of 
1836  he  came  to  Kirtland,  staying  at  his  cousin's  home  while  he  investigated 
the  gospel.  He  was  baptized  on  the  last  day  of  that  year. 


24  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

one  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  history  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints. 

But  while  the  cause  was  thus  prospering  abroad, 
apostasy,  persecution,  confusion  and  mobocracy  bore  rule 
in  Kirtland. 

On  one  occasion  a  large  number  of  leading  Elders — 
among  them  several  Apostles,  and  some  of  the  witnesses 
to  the  Book  of  Mormon — held  a  council  in  the  upper 
room  of  the  temple,  their  object  being  to  depose  the 
Prophet  and  appoint  David  Whitmer  President  of  the 
Cfiurch.  Brigham  Young,  who  had  on  other  occasions 
frustrated  their  plans,  and  exposed  their  evil  designs, 
was  present  also,  and  by  a  characteristic  speech  defeated 
their  scheme.  He  says:  "I  rose  up,  and  told  them  in  a 
plain  and  forcible  manner  that  Joseph  was  a  Prophet; 
and  I  knew  it;  and  that  they  might  rail  at  and  slander 
him  as  much  as  they  pleased,  they  could  not  destroy  the 
appointment  of  the  Prophet  of  God;  they  could  only 
destroy  their  own  authority,  cut  the  thread  ^vvhich  bound 
them  to  the  Prophet  and  to  God  and  sink  themselves  to 
hell.  Many  were  highly  enraged  at  my  decided  opposi- 
tion to  their  measures  and  Jacob  Bump  (an  old  pugilist) 
was  so  exasperated  that  he  could  not  be  still.  Some  of 
the  brethren  near  put  their  hands  on  him  and  requested 
him  to  be  quiet;  but  he  writhed  and  twisted  his  arms 
and  body  saying  'how  can  I  keep  my  hands  off  that  man?' 
I  told  him  if  he  thought  it  would  give  him  any  relief  he 
might  lay  them  on.  The  meeting  was  broken  up  without 
the  apostates  being  able  to  unite  on  any  decided 
measures  of  opposition.  This  was  a  crisis  when  earth 
and  hell  seemed  leagued  to  overthrow  the  Prophet  and 
Church  of  God.  The  knees  of  many  of  the  strongest  men 
in  the  Church  faltered. " 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  25 

In  this  siege  of  darkness  Brigham  Young  thus  ever 
stood  close  by  Joseph  and  with  all  the  wisdom  and  power 
of  his  strong  mind  put  forth  his  utmost  energies  to  sus- 
tain his  Prophet-leader  and  to  unite  the  quorums  of  the 
Church,  proclaiming  publicly  and  privately  that  he  knew 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  Joseph  was  a 
Prophet  of  the  Most  High  God  and  that  he  had  not 
transgressed  or  fallen  as  the  apostates  declared.  It  was 
now1  readily  perceived  why  Joseph  desired  Brigham  to 
remain  with  him. 

"It  was  well  for  Joseph  and  for  Mormonism  in 
general  that  he  decided  to  keep  by  him  at  that  time  the 
lion  heart  and  intrepid  soul  of  Brigham  Young.  Firm  as 
a  rock  in  his  fealty  to  his  chief,  he  combined  sound  judg- 
ment, keen  perception,  with  courage  unfaltering  and 
sublime.  Like  .lightnings  were  his  intuitions,  his 
decisions  between  right  and  wrong;  like  thunder  his 
denunciations  of  what  his  soul  conceived  was  error.  A 
man  for  emergencies,  far-sighted  and  inspirational;  a 
master  spirit  and  natural  leader  of  men. 

"Well  might  Joseph — brave  almost  to  rashness — 
whose  genius,  though  lofty  and  general  in  its  scope,  was 
pre-eminently  spiritual,  while  Brigham 's  was  pronouncedly 
practical,  wish  to  have  near  him  at  such  a  time,  just 
such  a  man.  In  that  dark  hour,  the  cfarkest  perhaps 
that  Mormonism  has  seen,  when  its  very  foundations 
seemed  crumbling,  when. men  supposed  to  be  its  pillars 
were  weakening  and  falling  away,  joining  hands  secretly 
or  openly  with  its  enemies,  the  man  Brigham  never 
faltered,  never  failed  in  his  allegiance  to  his  leader, 
never  ceased  defending  him  against  his  accusers,  and  as 
boldly  denouncing  them  betimes  for  falsehood,  selfish- 
ness and  treachery.  His  life  was  imperilled  by  his  bold- 

3 


26  THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

ness.  He  heeded  not,  but  steadily  held  on  his  wa)r,  an 
example  of  valor  and  fidelity,  a  faithful  friend,  sans  peur 
et  sans  reproche* 

The  persecution  continuing  became  so  violent  that 
on  the  morning  of  December  22nd,  1837,  threatened  with 
assassination,  Brigham  was  forced  to  flee,  followed  three 
weeks  later  on  his  way  to  Missouri  by  the  Prophet  and 
Elder  Rigdon.  Following  a  variety  of  occurrences,  in 
which  Brigham  was  constantly  a  staunch  support,  com- 
fort, and  pillar  of  strength  to  Joseph  the  persecuted 
leaders  reached  Far  West  about  the  middle  of  March. 
1838. 


6.        THE    FLIGHT    TO    ILLINOIS. 

The  Saints  in  Missouri  seem  not  to  have  escaped 
entirely  the  disaffections  of  Kirtland.  After  arriving  in 
Far  West,  the  Prophet  decided  on  priming  the  Church 
of  its  dead  branches,  and  on  continuing  the  work  of 
"setting  in  order."  The  presiding  leaders  had  been 
suspended  from  office,  and  were  subsequently  excommuni- 
cated. At  the  April  conference,  in  1838,  a  reorganization 
of  the  Church  in  Far  West  took  place,  and  Thomas  B. 
Marsh,  Brigham  Young  and  David  W.  Patten,  were 
chosen  to  preside  over  the  Church  in  Missouri.  Under 
their  direction,  many  prominent  men  were  severed  from 
the  organization,  none  being  spared  who  would  not 
speedily  repent  of  their  wiong-doings.  The  vacancies 
thus  produced  in  the  quorums,  were  filled  by  calling 
other  faithful  men  to  occupy  the  places  of  those  who  were 
deprived  of  membership. 


•Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  I,  p  137. 


THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  27 

During  that  spring  and  summer,  a  few  months  of 
comparative  peace  were  enjoyed  by  the  Saints  and  their 
leaders,  pending  which  time  there  was  a  general  migra- 
tion of  Mormons  from  Ohio  to  Missouri;  but  the  tran- 
quility  was  only  a  calm  before  the  storm  of  outrage, 
robbery,  murder,  massacre  and  expulsion,  which  was 
soon  to  break  over  the  people,  with  appalling  fury. 

There  were  now  in  this  State  about  twelve  thousand 
souls  belonging  to  the  Mormon  Church,  most  of  whom 
resided  in  Caldwell  County.  Many,  however,  dwelt  in 
neighboring  counties.  Their  troubles  began  in  the  early 
part  of  August,  during  the  progress  of  the  State  election. 
A  mob  sought  to  prevent  the  Mormons  from  voting;  then 
followed  perplexity  and  agitation,  and  from  the  first  out- 
break in  Gallatin,  Daviess  County,  the  difficulties  spread 
until  the  people  of  the  whole  region  thereabout  were  bent 
upon  a  general  anti-Mormon  uprising,  incited  by  fiery 
speeches  from  priest,  politician  and  apostate,  and  by 
articles  in  the  local  press.  "The  result  is  too  well  known 
to  need  more  than  mere  mention.  The  Mormons  armed 
and  tried  to  defend  themselves;  there  was  the  Crooked 
River  battle,  then  the  calling  out  of  the  exterminating 
army  of  Governor  Boggs,  whose  mission  was  to  drive 
the  Mormons  out  of  Missouri;  the  horrors  of  Haun's  Mill 
(Brigham's  brother,  Joseph,  was  among  those  who  dwelt 
there);  the  disarming  of  the  Mormons;  the  march  upon 
and  the  surrender  of  Far  West;  the  treaty  of  the  traitor, 
Colonel  Hinkle,  with  General  Lucas;  and  the  shootings, 
ravishings,  and  murders,  inflicted  by  the  army.  A  chapter 
of  woes,  indeed,  such  as  has  few  parallels  in  history, 
ending  with  banishment  from  home. 

Brigham  thus  refers  to  the  scenes  in  Far  West  :  "I 
saw  Brothers  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Parley  P. 


28  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

Pratt,  Lyraan  Wight  and  George  W.  Robinson  delivered 
up  by  Col.  Hinkle  to  General  Lucas,  but  expected  they 
would  have  returned  to  the  city  that  evening  or  the 
next  morning,  according  to  agreement,  and  the  pledge 
of  the  sacred  honor  of  the  officers  that  they  should  be 
allowed  to  do  so,  but  they  did  not'  so  return.  The  next 
morning  General  Lucas  demanded  and  took  away  the 
arms  of  the  militia  of  Caldwell  County,  assuring  them 
that  they  should  be  protected;  but  as  soon  as  they 
obtained  possession  of  the  arms,  they  commenced  their 
ravages  by  plundering  the  citizens  of  their  bedding, 
clothing,  money,  wearing  apparel,  and  everything  of 
value  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon,  and  also 
attempted  to  violate  the  chastity  of  the  women  in  the 
presence  of  their  husbands  and  friends.  The  soldiers  shot 
down  our  oxen,  cows,  hogs  and  fowls  at  our  own  doors 
taking  part  away  and  leaving  the  rest  to  rot  in  the  street. 
They  also  turned  their  horses  into  our  fields  of  corn. " 

He  was  present  and  heard  the  noted  speech  of 
General  Clark,  which  gave  the  Mormons  no  hope  for 
mercy;  they  were  compelled  to  sign  away  their  property 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
so  called  war,  fifty-seven  of  the  Mormon  leaders,  among 
whom  was  the  Prophet  Joseph,  were  betrayed  as  prisoners 
into  the  hands  of  the  mob,  and  the  whole  community 
were  ordered  to  flee  immediately  out  of  the  State. 

During  these  troubles  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Twelve,  apostatized;  and  David  W.  Patten 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Crooked  River,  October  25th, 
which  left  Brigham  Young  President  of  the  Apostles. 
The  First  Presidency  being  in  prison,  it  now  devolved 
upon  him  to  take  charge  of  the  Church,  which  he  did, 
danlning  and  directing  the  exodus  of  the  Saints  to 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  29 

Illinois.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  onerous  duties  and 
trials  that  he  exhibited  qualities  of  mind  disclosing  his 
executive  talent  as  a  great  leader.  He  called  his  leading 
brethren  together  to  know  how  they  regarded  the  work, 
whether  they  still  knew  it  was  of  God,  declaring  that  his 
faith  remained  unshaken.  He  proved  his  assertion  by 
his  works,  and  planned  for  others  that  they  might  do  the 
same.  He  manifested  earnest  zeal  and  prompt  activity 
in  assisting  the  poor.  Meetings  were  held  in  January 
and  February,  1839,  at  which  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  solicit  aid  for  the  destitute.  In  one  of  these  gather- 
ings he  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
adopted,  and  the  covenant  was  faithfully  kept  by  all 
interested.  Nearly  four  hundred  persons  besides  the 
committee  afterward  signed  a  similar  document: 

"Resolved.  That  we  this  day  enter  into  a  covenant 
to  stand  by  and  assist  each  other,  to  the  utmost  of  our 
abilities,  in  removing  from  this  State,  and  that  we  will 
never  desert  the  poor  who  are  worthy,  till  they  shall  be 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  general  exterminating  order  of 
General  Clark,  acting  for  and  in  the  name  of  the  State." 

His  activity  in  behalf  of  his  afflicted  brethren  and 
friends  gave  offense  to  the  mob,  and  once  more  he  was 
forced  to  flee  for  his  life.  With  his  family  he  departed 
from  Missouri  in  February,  leaving  his  landed  property 
and  household  goods  in  the  hands  of  the  mobbers.  Pro- 
ceeding to  Illinois,  he  settled  in  the  course  of  three 
weeks  in  Quincy.  Here,  on  the  17th  of  March,  he  held 
a  meeting  with  the  Twelve  and  some  of  the  Saints,  the 
object  being  to  devise  means  to  assist  the  poor  from 
Missouri.  His  record  says: 

"A  letter  was  read  to  the  people  from  the  committee, 
on  behalf  of  the  Saints  at  Far  West,  who  were  left  desti- 


30  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

tute  of  the  means  to  move.  Though  the  brethren  were 
left  poor  and  almost  stripped  of  everything,  yet  they 
manifested  a  spirit  of  willingness  to  do  their  utmost, 
offering  to  sell  their  hats,  coats  and  shoes  to  accomplish 
the  object.  We  broke  bread  and  partook  of  the  sacra- 
ment. At  the  close  of  the  meeting  $50  was  collected  in 
money,  and  several  teams  were  subscribed  to  go  and 
bring  the  brethren.  Among  the  subscribers  was  the 
widow  of  Warren  Smith,  whose  husband  and  two  sons 
had  their  brains  blown  out  at  the  massacre  at  Haun's 
Mill.  She  sent  her  only  team  on  this  charitable  mission." 

In  this  meeting  also  he  explained  to  the  Saints  the 
conditon  of  the  Church  and  the  situation  of  the  scattered 
members,  advising  the  people  to  settle  in  companies  so 
that  they  might  be  "fed  by  the  shepherds;  for  without, 
the  sheep  would  be  scattered. "  Several  of  those  who  had 
proved  unfaithful  were  excommunicated  from  the  Church. 
Thus  with  his  master  spirit  he  aided  in  uniting  the 
people,  and  in  keeping  them  strong  and  firm  in  the  faith, 
during  their  subjection  to  supremest  trial.  And  their 
burdens  were  truly  heavy.  "That  winter  from  ten  to 
twelve  thousand  Latter-day  Saints,  men,  women  and 
children,  still  hounded  and  pursued  by  their  merciless 
oppressors,  fled  from  Missouri,  leaving  in  places  their 
bloody  footprints  on  the  snow  of  their  frozen  pathway. 
Crossing  the  ice  of  the  Mississippi,  they  cast  themselves, 
homeless,  plundered  and  penniless,  upon  the  hospitable 
shores  of  Illinois."* 

Brigham  Young  worked  like  a  hero,  m  connection 
with  his  brethren  Heber  C.  Kimball,  John  Taylor,  and 
members  of  the  committee,  to  lighten  the  burdens  of 


Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  1,  p  167. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  31 

these  exiles.  His  big  heart  offered  soothing  sympathy  to 
the  bereaved,  the  widow  and  the  fatherless,  and  his 
untiring  exertions  lessened  the  sorrows  and  afflictions  of 
the  destitute. 


7.        FULFILLING    A    PROPHECY. 

On  the  26th  day  of  April,  1838,  a  revelation  was 
given  through  Joseph  the  Prophet,  commanding  the 
Saints  to  re-commence  laying  the  foundation  of  a  temple 
in  Far  West,  one  year  from  that  date.  About  this  time 
also  the  Twelve  were  called  to  proclaim  the  gospel 
"across  the  great  waters,"  and  were  to  meet  upon  the 
temple  grounds  upon  this  occasion,  to  take  formal  leave 
of  Far  West  prior  to  their  departure  abroad. 

But,  as  we  have  learned,  the  Saints  were  expelled  from 
Missouri.  It  was  as  much  as  an  Apostle's  life  was  worth 
to  be  seen  in  the  region.  The  Missourians  had  sworn 
that  at  least  this  prophecy  should  not  be  fulfilled.  Under 
these  circumstances  some  of  the  Elders  urged  that  the 
Lord  would  not  require  the  Apostles  to  obey  this  com- 
mand. Brigham  Young  thought  otherwise,  and  laid 
great  stress  upon  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy,  as  did 
the  Twelve  who  were  with  him.  He  was  now  in  charge, 
and  was  not  willing  that  anything  resting  in  his  care 
should  fail.  He  said:  "I  told  them  the  Lord  had  spoken 
and  it  was  our  duty  to  obey,  and  leave  the  event  in  His 
hands,  and  He  would  protect  us."  Hence,  notwithstand- 
ing the  danger,  he  proceeded  to  the  spot,  with  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  Orsop  Pratt,  John  E.  Page  and  John  Taylor. 
They  held  the  conference,  ordained  Wilford  Woodruff 
and  George  A.  Smith  to  the  Apostleship,  severed  thirty- 
one  persons  from  the  Church,  offered  prayer,  laid  the 


32  THE    LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM    YOUNG. 

corner-stone  of  the  temple  as  commanded,  and  took 
formal  leave  of  the  Saints,  very  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  26th  of  April,  1839,  before  the  mob  were  awake. 

Thus  was  a  prophecy  fulfilled  which  the  mobbers  had 
boasted  should  surely  fail. 


8.       ACROSS    THE    WATF.R. 

Continuing  their  labors,  lands  were  purchased  in 
Iowa,  and  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  upon  which  the 
Saints  as  they  escaped  from  Missouri  now  settled. 
Brigham  Young  dwelt  in  Montrose,  Lee  County,  Iowa, 
when  the  Prophet,  after  nearly  six  months'  cruel 
imprisonment,  arrived  among  the  Saints  in  Quinc)7. 
Leaving  that  city  May  9th,  1839,  Joseph  with  the  Twelve 
now  founded  Nauvoo,  at  a  place  then  called  Commerce,  in 
Illinois.  Here  again  the  weak  and  poverty-stricken 
Saints  gathered  in  the  course  of  the  summer. 

While  the  site  of  the  new  city  was  beautifully  located 
a  part  of  the  land  sloping  to  the  river  was  moist  and 
miery,  making  it  a  fit  place  for  the  dreaded  malaria. 
The  physical  condition  of  the  exiled  Saints  made  them 
an  easy  prey  to  disease,  and  it  was  not  long  after  their 
arrival  when  fever  and  ague  broke  out  in  their  midst, 
until  nearly  all  were  afflicted.  There  were  sick  in  every 
house — few  persons  if  any,  were  exempt.  The  Prophet 
himself  did  not  escape,  but  he  arose,  however,  and  by 
the  power  of  his  faith  in  God  stayed  the  pestilence.  This 
incident  of  miraculous  healing  is  referred  K)  by  Brigham 
Young,  who  says: 

"Joseph  arose  from  his  bed,  and  the  power  of  God 
rested  upon  him.  He  commenced  in  his  own  house  and 


THE   LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG.  3B 

door-yard,  commanding  the  sick  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  arise  and  be  made  whole;  and  they  were  healed 
according  to  his  word.  He  then  continued  to  travel  from 
house  to  house,  and  from  tent  to  tent,  upon  the  bank  of 
the  river,  healing  the  sick  as  he  went,  until  he  arrived  at 
the  upper  stone  house,  where  he  crossed  the  river  in  a 
boat,  accompanied  by  several  of  the  quorum  of  the 
Twelve,  and  landed  in  Montrose.  He  walked  into  the 
cabin  where  I  was  lying  sick,  and  commanded  me  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  arise  and  be  made  whole.  I 
arose  and  was  healed,  and  followed  him  and  the  brethren 
of  the  Twelve  into  the  house  of  Elijah  Fordham,  who 
was  supposed  by  his  family  and  friends  to  be  dying. 
Joseph  stepped  to  his  bedside,  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  commanded  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  arise 
from  his  bed  and  be  made  whole.  His  voice  was  as  the 
voice  of  God.  Brother  Fordham  instantly  leaped  from  his 
bed,  called  for  his  clothing  and  followed  us  into  the 
street.  We  then  went  into  the  house  of  Joseph  B. 
Nobles,  who  lay  very  sick,  and  he  was  healed  in  the 
same  manner.  And  when,  by  the  power  of  God  granted 
unto  him,  Joseph  had  healed  the  sick,  he  re-crossed  the 
river  and  returned  to  his  home.  This  was  a  day  never 
to  be  forgotten." 

It  was  during  the  reign  of  such  an  epidemic  that 
Brigham  Young  and  seven  of'  the  Twelve  left  to  fill  the 
foreign  mission  to  which  they  had  been  appointed  in 
Missouri.  Themselves  weak,  ailing,  penniless,  their 
families  afflicted  and  almost  destitute,  they  yet  had  faith 
enough  in  the  cause  to  perform  their  duty.  With  all  his 
children  sick,  and  in  the  poorest  of  financial  circum- 
stances, Brigham  left  his  home  in  Montrose,  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1839,  being  carried  to  the  house  of  Heber 


34  THE    LIFE    OF    BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

C.  Kimball,  where,  his  strength  failing  him,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  remain,  nursed  by  his  wife,  till  the  18th.  At 
this  date  he,  with  his  friend  Heber,  whose  circumstances 
were  no  better,  resolutely  departed  for  England,  visiting 
Kirtland  and  other  places  on  the  way,  preaching  as  they 
went. 

Such  indomitable  courage  had  the  men  who  were 
unwittingly  training  to  conquer  in  even  greater  conflicts. 

On  the  19th  of  March,  1840,  Brigham  Young,  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  George  A. 
Smith  and  Reuben  Hedlock,  sailed  from  New  York,  on 
the  Patrick  Henry,  arriving  in  Liverpool  April  6th,  1840 — 
the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  the  Church. 
John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff  Hyrum  Clark  and  Theo- 
dore Turley  had  previously  landed  on  January  llth.  On 
the  14th  day  of  April,  after  all  the  missionary  Apostles 
had  arrived  a  conference  was  held  at  Preston.  At  this 
gathering  Brigham  Young  was  chosen  President  of  the 
Twelve,  Willard  Richards  was  ordained  an  Apostle,  the 
plan  of  labor  was  discussed  and  decided  upon  and  the 
Elders  were  appointed  to  their  various  mission  fields. 

With  unwearying  zeal  Brigham  superintended  the 
organization  of  branches,  established  an  emigration 
agency  and  a  publishing  house,  and  in  other  ways  gave 
organic- form  to  the  great  British  Mission.  He  began  the 
publication  of  the  Millennial  Star  assisting  Parley  P. 
Pratt  in  editing  the  same;  he  was  one  of  a  committee  to 
compile  the  Mormon  hymn  book,  and  to  print  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  and  he  traveled  extensively  to  obtain  means 
for  the  publication  of  these  works. 

A  letter  concerning  their  labors,  which  he  wrote  to 
the  Prophet  Joseph  soon  after  the  conference,  will  illus- 
trate his  regard  for  the  counsels  of  his  leader — a  respect 


THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  35 

which  he  always  in  after  time  demanded  as  well  as    com- 
manded from  his  own  followers: 

To  President  Joseph  Smith  and  Counselors. 

"DEAR  BRETHREN: — You  no  doubt  will  have  the 
perusal  of  this  letter  and  the  minutes  of  our  conferences; 
they  will  give  you  an  idea  of  what  we  are  doing  in  this 
country. 

"If  you  see  anything  in  or  about  the  whole  affair 
that  is  not  right,  I  ask  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  you  would  make  known  unto  us  the  mind  of 
the  Lord  and  His  will  concerning  us. 

"I  believe  that  I  am  as  willing  to  do  the  will  of  the 
Lord,  and  take  counsel  of  my  brethren,  and  be  a  servant 
of  the  Church,  as  ever  I  was  in  my  life;  but  I  can  tell 
you  I  would  like  to  be  with  my  old  friends;  I  like  my 
new  ones,  but  I  cannot  part  with  my  old  ones  for  them. 

"Concerning  the  hymn  book:  when  we  arrived  here 
we  found  the  brethren  had  laid  by  their  old  hymn  books, 
and  they  wanted  new  ones;  for  the  Bible,  religion  and 
all  is  new  to  them. 

"I  trust  that  I  will  remain  your  friend  through  life 
and  in  eternity 

"As  ever, 

"BRIGHAM  YOUNG." 

Besides  the  labors  mentioned  above,  he  unlocked 
the  door  of  emigration,  forwarding  the  first  Saints  from 
Europe  to  swell  the  numbers  in  the  New  World.  The 
first  company,  consisting  of  forty  souls,  sailed  in  the 
ship  Britanna,  June  6th,  1840;  and  the  second  consisting 
of  two  hundred  souls  in  the  ship  North  America,  Septem- 
ber 8th  of  the  same  year.  He  traveled  in  the  various 
districts  holding  conferences  preaching  the  gospel  to  the 
people,  visiting  London  and  other  important  cities. 
Like  his  fellow-Apostles,  he  was  greatly  prospered,, 
their  success  being  nothing  less  than  marvelous. 


36  THE    LIFE    OF    BEIGHAM    YOUNG. 

On  the  20th  day  of  April,  1841,  he  with  five  of  his 
companions  and  a  company  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
Saints,  set  sail  for  New  York  on  board  the  ship  Rochester. 
There  were  many  friends  at  the  dock  to  waft  them 
farewell,  and  to  bid  them  a  pleasant  voyage  to  their 
native  land.  Parley  P.  Pratt  remained  to  preside  over 
the  mission. 

Concerning  the  work  performed  while  they  were  on 
this  errand,  Brigham's  journal  testifies: 

"It  was  with  a  heart  full  of  thanksgiving  and  grati- 
tude to  God,  my  Heavenly  Father,  that  I  reflected  upon 
His  dealings  with  me  and  my  brethren  of  the  Twelve 
during  the  past  year  of  my  life  which  was  spent  in  Eng- 
land. It  truly  seems  a  miracle  to  look  upon  the  contrast 
of  our  landing  and  departing  from  Liverpool.  We 
landed  in  the  spring  of  1840,  as  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  and  penniless,  but  through  the  mercy  of  God  we 
have  gained  many  friends,  established  churches  in  almost 
^very  noted  town  and  city  of  Great  Britain,  baptized 
between  seven  and  eight  thousand  souls,  printed  5,000 
Books  of  Mormon,  3,000  hymn  books,  2,500  volumes  of 
the  Millennial  Star  and  50,000  tracts,  emigrated  to  Zion 
1,000  souls,  establishing  a  permanent  shipping  agency, 
which  will  be  a  great  blessing  to  the  Saints  and  have  left 
sown  in  the  hearts  of  many  thousands  the  seeds  of  eternal 
life  which  shall  bring  forth  fruit  to  the  honor  and  glory 
of  God;  and  yet  we  have  lacked  nothing  to  eat,  drink  or 
wear;  in  all  these  things  I  acknowledge  the  hand  of 
God." 

On  the  1st  day  of  July  the  Apostles  arrived  in 
Nauvoo  and  were  cordially  welcomed  by  the  Prophet 
Joseph,  who  received  the  following  revelation  on  the  9th: 

"Dear    and     well-beloved    Brother    Brigham    YDung, 


THE    LIFE    OF   BHIGHAM    YOUNG.  37 

verily  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you  my  servant  Brigham, 
it  is  no  more  required  at  your  hand  to  leave  your  family 
as  in  times  past,  for  your  offering  is  acceptable  to  me; 

"I  Jiave  seen  your  labor  and  toil  in  jourenying  for 
my  name. 

"I  therefore  command  you  to  send  my  word  abroad, 
and  take  special  care  of  your  family  from  this  time, 
henceforth,  and  forever.  Amen. " 


9.        IN    NAUVOO. THE    MARTYRDOM. 

In  Nauvoo  the  cause  was  prospering.  The  people  in 
Iowa  and  Illinois  treated  the  Saints  with  kindness  and 
consideration,  and  counted  them  worthy  citizens.  The 
city  was  rapidly  growing,  and  there  sprang  into  existence 
beautiful  homes,  surrounded  by  lovely  gardens.  It 
promised  to  be  the  largest  city  in  the  State.  The  popula- 
tion increased  steadily,  and  with  it,  the  industries  that 
come  into  being  in  the  midst  of  a  thrifty  people.  Once 
or  twice  their  old  enemies  had  made  efforts  to  arrest  the 
Prophet  and  some  of  the  leaders  to  answer  to  imaginary 
charges.  Some  annoyance  was  thus  caused,  but 
Missourians  obtained  little  sympathy,  and  just  then  met 
with  no  success.  Peace  and  good-will  seemed  at  length 
to  rest  in  soothing  comfort  over  the  Saints. 

In  the  winter  of  1840-1,  the  legislature  granted  a 
most  liberal  charter  to  Nauvoo,  and  political  parties 
sought  the  affiliation  of  the  Mormons,  since  they  held  the 
balance  of  power.  With  the  return  of  Brigham  Young 
and  the  Apostles  from  England,  the  prosperity  of  the 
growing  city  was  greatly  accelerated.  The  University- 
was  organized  as  provided  for  in  the  charter,  as  was  also 


38  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

the  Nauvoo  Legion,  of  which  latter  military  organization 
Joseph  Smith  was  chosen  the  Lieutenant-General.  The 
corner-stone  of  the  temple  was  laid  in  April,  1841,  and 
in  May  following,  the  Prophet  called  upon  the  people 
in  the  scattered  Stakes  in  all  the  regions  about  to 
gather  to  Nauvoo,  the  object  being  to  assist,  by  concen- 
trating their  energy  and  enterprise,  in  the  erection  of  the 
temple  and  other  public  works.  The  result  was  that  the 
Saints  flocked  into  the  city  from  all  directions,  and 
Nauvoo  the  Beautiful  soon  numbered  twenty  thousand 
souls.  The  fame  of  Joseph  Smith  had  spread  over  both 
continents.  He  and  his  people  were  now  at  the  height 
of  their  prosperity.  The  great  newspapers  sent  represen- 
tatives to  write  about  the  "modern  military  prophet" 
and  his  followers.  At  this  time,  in  answer  to  newspaper 
appeals,  the  Articles  of  Faith  were  written,  and  the 
whole  world  was  informed  in  other  writings  and  inter- 
views concerning  the  history  and  belief  of  the  Saints. 

The  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Prophet  of  concen- 
trating the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  \fas  construed  to  mean  that 
he  desired  to  rule  in  politics.  The  result  was  a  new 
organization,  styled  the  Anti-Mormon  Party,  whose  object 
is  clearly  expressed  in  its  name.  With  this,  fresh  diffi- 
culties began,  for  the  people.  The  Prophet  was  arrested 
on  old  charges,  arid  complaints  of  various  kinds  were 
lodged  against  the  Saints  and  their  leaders.  Then  came 
Bennett,  with  his  vile  slanders,  coupled  with  the  efforts 
of  apostates  to  bring  trouble  upon  the  people  and  the 
Prophet. 

Their  nefarious  exertions  were  like  the  faint  rum- 
blings of  a  coming  storm. 

Before  this  time  the  Prophet  had  hinted  time  and 
time  again  at  his  own  death,  seeming  to  realize  that  it 


THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG.  39 

was  not  far  off.  Brigham,  as  ever  before,  continued  to 
be  his  near  friend.  He  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
the  affairs  of  Nauvoo  since  his  return  from  England,  meet- 
ing with  the  Prophet  in  important  councils  both  religious 
and  political  so  that  by  this  means  he  became  thoroughly 
educated  in  Joseph's  policy  and  doctrines.  Temporal 
affairs  had  not  escaped  his  attention.  He  arranged  once 
to -aid  Joseph  in  obtaining  the  necessaries  of  life,  when 
in  poverty  owing  to  his  long  continued  imprisonment  in 
Missouri,  and  on  another  occasion  when  the  Missourians 
came  to  Illinois  to  arrest  Joseph,  raised  hundreds  of 
dollars  to  help  in  frustrating  their  plans.  With  Brigham 
Young  at  his  side,  whom  his  intuition  seemed  to  have 
singled  out  as  his  successor,  as  the  coming  leader, 
Joseph  felt  secure. 

The  success  which  had  attended  the  Saints  in  their 
now  beloved  Nauvoo,  and  the  establishment  of  the  gos- 
pel doctrines  in  America,  must  have  given  the  Prophet 
comforting  joy,  but  he  felt  that  there  was  still  a  greater 
destiny  for  his  people.  They  were  not  yet  in  their  place 
of  rest.  He  still  had  visions  of  the  West,  concerning 
which  a  remarkable  prophecy  is  recorded  that  he  uttered 
in  Montrose,  Lee  County,  Iowa,  August  6th,  1842.  It 
reads:  "I  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would  continue  to 
surfer  much  affliction,  and  would  be  driven  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Many  would  apostatize;  others  would  be  put 
to  death  by  our  persecutors,  or  lose  their  lives  in  con- 
sequence of  exposure  and  disease;  and  some  would  live 
to  go  and  assist  in  making  settlements  and  building 
cities,  and  see  the  Saints  become  a  mighty  people  in  the 
midst  of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

From  this  time  on  there  was  not  much  peace.  A 
variety  of  charges  were  heaped  upon  the  Prophet.  He 


40       .  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

was  many  times  arrested,  tried  and  set  free,  there  being 
no  cause  for  action  against  him.  Lies  were  circulated 
by  enemies  in  the  Church  and  out,,  libeling  his  moral 
conduct  and  teachings.  As  the  elections  came  on,  the 
Mormons,  voting  for  their  friends,  made  still  more 
enemies  among  their  political  opponents. 

In  the  midst  of  this  turmoil,  in  the  winter  of  1843-4r 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  entered  the  political  arena  .  as 
candidate  for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States. 
His  nomination  was  made  January  29,  1844,  and 
sustained  at  a  State  convention  the  following  May.  He 
then  issued  a  platform  setting  forth  his  views  on  the 
policy  and  powers  of  the  Federal  Government,  in  which, 
are  found  many  excellent  features. 

It  was  to  promulgate  his  views  on  government,  and  to 
secure  his  election  that  Brigham  Young  and  several 
Apostles  and  Elders  went  to  the  Eastern  States  in  April 
and  May  of  1844. 

With  this  new  step  the  Anti-Mormon  element  became 
more  furious  than  ever;  and  in  addition  there  arose 
schisms  and  apostasies  in  the  Church.  Apostates  estab- 
lished the  Expositor,  a  paper  designed  to  attack  the 
character  of  the  Prophet  and  citizens  of  Nauvoo.  The 
paper  was  destroyed  after  its  first  issue  by  the  outraged 
citizens  by  order  of  the  Mayor  who  was  at  that  time  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  Then  followed  outrage  upon  outrage  by 
the  mob  who  were  now  formed  into  a  well-organized 
body.  They  crowded  upon  the  city  and  at  length  Joseph 
declared  Nauvoo  under  martial  law  and  called  upon  the 
Legion  to  defend  it.  In  a  speech  to  that  body  he  again 
foreshadowed  his  own  death  and  pointed  to  the  West  as 
the  resting  place  of  his  people. 

Governor  Ford  now  called  out  the  army,  transforming 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  41 

the  mob  into  a  militia,  and  demanded  that  the  Prophet 
and  those  engaged  in  the  destruction  of  the  Expositor 
come  to  Carthage  to  be  tried  for  riot,  also  that  the  mar- 
tial law  at  Nauvoo  be  abolished. 

His  orders  were  obe)Ted,  as  it  was  never  the  inten- 
tion of  the  people  to  disobey  constituted  authority.  The 
Prophet  hesitated  about  giving  himself  up,  and  started, 
on  the  night  of  June  22nd,  with  his  brother  Hyrum, 
Willard  Richards,  John  Taylor  and  a  few  others,  for 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  was,  however,  intercepted 
by  his  friends,  and  induced  to  abandon  his  project, 
being  chided  with  cowardice  and  with  deserting  his 
people.  This  was  more  than  he  could  bear,  and  so  he 
returned,  saying:  "If  my  life  is  of  no  value  to  my 
friends,  it  is  of  no  value  to  myself.  We  are  going  back 
to  be  slaughtered. " 

On  the  following  day  the  Legion,  by  order,  delivered 
up  their  arms,  and  the  Prophet  and  his  friends  went  to 
Carthage  on  the  24th  day  of  June.  On  the  27th,  not- 
withstanding the  pledged  protection  of  the  State,  Joseph 
and  his  brother  Hyrum  were  martyred  by  a  heartless 
mob,  in  Carthage  jail. 

It  seems  at  this  day  strange  that  Brigham  Young 
should  have  been  sent  away  during  this  trying  period. 
Providence  doubtless  designed  it,  for  if  he  had  been  in 
Nauvoo  when  that  message  was  sent  for  the  return  of 
the  Prophet,  he  would  have  prevented  the  martyrdom. 
He  loved  Joseph  too  much'  to  permit  the  counsels  of 
sure  death  to  prevail;  rather  he  would  have  heaped 
contempt  upon  the  heads  of  the  unwise  counselors,  and 
instead  provided  Elders  to  aid  the  Prophet  in  his  flight. 

He  said  as  much  afterward:  "If  the  Twelve  had 
been  here  we  would  not  have  seen  him  given  up;  he 


42  THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

should  not  have  been  given  up.  He  was  in  your  midst 
but  you  did  not  know  him;  he  has  been  taken  away  for 
the  people  are  not  worthy  of  him." 

But  this  was  not  to  be.  The  deed  was  done. 
Brigham  and  not  Joseph  was  to  be  the  founder  of  Utah. 
Heavy  grief  filled  the  hearts  of  the  Saints,  sorrow  and 
deep  mourning  rested  over  the  betrayed  and  stricken 
people. 

The  Twelve  had  been  summoned  home  on  the  20th 
of  June  before  the  Prophet's  death,  but  it  was  not  until 
the  6th  of  August,  1844,  that  they  all  arrived  in  Nauvoo. 

Brigham  Young  and  Orson  Pratt  were  in  New 
Hampshire  when  they  first  learned  of  the  assassination. 
The  sad  news  startled  them,  but  like  a  flash  came  to 
Brigham  Young  the  knowledge  that  the  Twelve  possessed 
the  authority  of  the  Priesthood,  and  were  now  the  head  of 
the  Church.  Joseph  had  previously  given  to  him  his  en- 
dowments, bestowed  upon  him  the  keys  of  the  Priesthood, 
and  had  instructed  him  and  his  brethren  of  the  Twelve  that 
whatever  might  befall,  they  now  had  the  authority  to  go 
on  and  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  perform  all 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  So  it  was  the  farthest 
from  their  thoughts  to  let  the  Church  die,  as  its 
enemies  doubtless  hoped  it  would.  The  power  and 
spirit  of  his  calling  rested  upon  Brigham  Young  in  this 
supreme  moment:  "The  first  thing  I  thought  of,"  said 
he,  "was  whether  Joseph  had  taken  the  keys  of  the 
Kingdom  with  him  from  the  earth.  Brother  Orson 
Pratt  sat  on  my  left;  we  were  both  leaning  back  in  our 
chairs.  Bringing  my  hand  down  on  my  knee,  I  said, 
the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  are  right  here  with  the 
Church. " 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  43 

Who  held  these  keys?  was  the  question  that  was 
discussed  in  Nauvoo  upon  their  arrival  in  that  city, 
August  6th,  1844. 


God  had  taken  Brigham  Young  through  a  school  of 
experience,  in  the  past  twelve  years,  that  made  him 
equal  to  the  stupendous  burden  that  now  rested  upon  his 
shoulders.  The  Saints  must  be  comforted,  held  together, 
be  persuaded  that  the  authority  and  power  to  lead  the 
Church  is  with  the  Twelve.  There  were  besides  the 
foreshadowing  of  their  great  future  to  be  realized — the 
grand  program  of  colonization  to  be  enacted.  The 
native  abilities  of  the  chief  Apostle,  enlarged  and 
strengthened  by  training,  made  him  equal  to  the  task. 
He  was  the  man  for  the  place,  ready  at  the  appointed 
hour.  Hardships,  sufferings,  trials,  toil  had  been  his 
portion,  but  these  had  tempered  him  mentally  and  physi- 
cally to  endurance.  His  mind  was  keen,  far-reaching, 
profound;  inherently  he  possessed  attributes  that  make 
leaders,  counselors,  commanders:  time  and  experience 
had  developed  these  qualities. 

He  was  now  in  his  forty-fourth  year,  in  the  full 
vigor  of  manhood,  strong  in  mind  and  body.  He  had 
shown  himself  great  in  faith,  in  powers  of  organization, 
executive  ability  and  government;  and  his  greatness  was 
largely  the  fruit  and  product  of  the  training  which  he 
had  received  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  taught  by 
the  departed  leader  and  Prophet. 


44  THE   LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 


III.     LEADER  OF  THE  MODERN  EXODUS. 

1.   BRIGHAM  YOUNG  SUCCEEDS  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

Utah  was  founded  by  a  colony  of  religious  exiles 
who  were  driven  thither,  as  the  Puritans  to  America, 
by  persecution.  The  migration  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
to  the  fastnesses  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  has  often  been 
compared  to  the  flight  of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  so 
their  pilgrimage  may  well  be  called  The  Modern  Exo- 
dus.* Brigham  Young  was  not  only  the  Moses  of  the 
Latter-day  Israel,  but  also  the  Joshua,  since  he  both  led 
his  followers  to  their  land,  and  established  them  therein. 
Briefly  let  us  outline  the  scenes  of  the  journey  and  the 
acts  of  the  leader. 

As  we  have  seen,  several  weeks  passed  after  the 
martyrdom,  before  Brigham  Young-  and  the  Twelve 


*"  The  colonies  which  this  wonderful  state-founding  community  has  sent 
to  the  West,  since  that  tidal  wave  rose  in  the  exodus  from  Nauvoo,  will  stand 
as  the  most  marked  example  of  organic  colonization  which  has  occurred  in 
the  growth  and  spread  of  the  American  nation." — Tullidge's  History  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  p.  4. 

"  There  is  no  parallel  in  the  world's  history  to  this  migration  from 
Nauvoo.  The  exodus  from  Egypt  was  from  a  heathen  land,  a  land  of  idol- 
aters, to  a  fertile  region  designated  by  the  Lord  for  His  chosen  people,  the 
land  of  Canaan.  The  pilgrim  fathers  in  flying  to  America  came  from  a 
bigoted  and  a  despotic  people— a  people  making  few  pretensions  to  civil  or 
religious  liberty  It  is  from  these  same  people  who  had  fled  from  old-world 
persecutions  that  they  might  enjoy  liberty  of  conscience  in  the  wilds  of 
America,  from  their  descendants  and  associates,  that  other  of  their  descen- 
dants, who  claimed  the  right  to  differ  Irom  them  in  opinion  and  practice,  were 
now  fleeing." — Bancroft's  History  of  Utah.  p.  217. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  45 

returned  to  Nauvoo.  Pending  their  arrival  there  was 
great  anxiety  among  certain  Elders  to  have  a  leader,  a 
trustee-in-trust,  or  a  president  appointed.  Others 
wished  a  reorganization  of  the  Church. 

Sidney  Rigdon,  who  as  a  counselor  to  the  martyred 
Prophet,  came  all  the  way  from  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  escape  the  turmoils  of  Nauvoo, 
to  present  his  claims  to  the  Presidency,  to  lay  his  plans 
to  have  the  Church  accept  him  as  its  "guardian."  In 
conjunction  with  Wm.  Marks,  President  of  the  Nauvoo 
Stake  of  Zion,  he  arranged  for  various  meetings  in 
which  he  laid  his  claims  before  the  people,  telling  them 
of  his  calling,  and  the  visions  which  he  had  received, 
indicating  that  he  was  the  man  to  lead  the  Church,  the 
man  of  whom  the  prophets  had  sung  and  written  and 
over  whom  they  had  rejoiced. 

The  Apostles  were  arriving  one  by  one,  and  there 
was  a  general  desire  to  wait  until  they  all  should  come 
before  taking  action,  hut  this  was  not  the  wish  of  the 
aspirants  to  position.  The  first  meeting  was  held  on 
the  4th  of  August,  in  the  Grove.  Rigdon  spoke,  and  by 
a  strange  circumstance  chose  for  his  text  words  which 
were  very  appropriate,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  in 
showing  the  sentiments  of  the  people  towards  him: 
"For  my  thoughts  are  not  as  your  thoughts,  neither  are 
your  ways- my  ways,  safth  the  Lord." 

The  people  felt  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd,  and 
that  plotters  were  among  them  seeking  to  get  control  of 
the  fold.  There  was  doubting  and  uncertainty  among 
the  Saints.  A  special  meeting  for  choosing  a  guardian  was 
called  for  August  8th,  notwithstanding  leading  Elders 
objected  to  such  haste.  These  were  the  conditions  that 
prevailed  when  President  Young  and  the  Twelve  arrived 


46  THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG. 

in  Nauvoo  on  the  6th  of  August,  1844.  Their  coming 
created  a  feeling  of  relief  among  the  Saints.  The 
Apostles  lost  no  time  in  learning  the  true  state  of  affairs, 
and  it  was  not  long  till  it  became  apparent  to  the  people 
that  the  chief  had  come.  A  council  of  the  Priesthood 
was  called  the  next  day,  in  which  Brigham  asked  Rigdon 
to  present  his  claims  to  leadership.  He  did  so,  and  was 
answered  by  the  President  in  such  a  way  that  no  doubt 
was  left  in  the  minds  of  those  who  heard  as  to  who  had 
the  authority.  Said  Brigham:  "Joseph  conferred  upon 
our  heads-  all  the  keys  and  powers  belonging  to  the 
Apostleship  which  he  himself  held  before  he  was  taken 
away,  and  no  man  or  set  of  men  can  get  between  Joseph 
and  the  Twelve  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come. 
How  often  has  Joseph  said  to  the  Twelve,  I  have  laid  the 
foundation  and  you  must  build  thereon,  for  upon  your 
shoulders  the  kingdom  rests." 

The  advertised  public  meeting  was  held  thereafter 
on  the  8th.  It  was  one  of  the  most  important  assemblies 
the  Saints  have  ever  attended.  Rigdon  occupied  one 
hour  and  a  half,  followed  by  President  Young.  The 
words  of  the  former,  notwithstanding  his  natural  elo- 
quence, fell  upon  cold  ears.  "The  Lord  hath  not  chosen 
you,"  could  be  read  in  the  faces  of  the  multitude.  The 
people  turned  instinctively  to  Brigham  Young;  it  was  the 
first  time  they  had  heard  him  since  his  return,  and  the 
effect  was  electrical.  His  voice,  appearance,  and  the 
wisdom  and  clearness  with  which  he  pointed  out  the 
order  of  the  Priesthood,  all  indicated  the  man  whom 
God  had  selected  to  guide  his  Israel.  Rigdon  was  re- 
pudiated, and  the  congregation  said  one  to  another: 
The  spirit  of  Joseph  rests  upon  Brigham." 

"A    more    wonderful  and  miraculous  event  than  was 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  47 

wrought  that  day  in  the  presence  of  that  congregation 
we  never  heard  of,"  writes  George  Q.  Cannon.  "The 
Lord  gave  his  people  a  testimony  that  left  no  room  for 
doubt  as  to  who  was  the  man  He  had  chosen  to  lead  them. 

*  *  On  that  occasion  President  Brigham  Young 
seemed  to  be  transformed,  and  a  change  such  as  that  we 
read  of  in  the  Scriptures  as  happening  to  the  Prophet 
Elisha,  when  Elijah  was  translated  in  his  presence,  seemed 
to  have  taken  place  with  him.  The  mantle  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  had  been  left  for  Brigham  Young.  *  *  * 
In  his  remarks  to  the  congregation,  he  alluded  to  the  fact 
that  instead  of  himself  and  brethren  finding  them  mourn- 
ing the  death  of  their  great  leader,  as  Israel  did  the  de- 
parture of  Moses,  they  found  them  holding  meetings  to 
chose  his  successor.  But  if  they  wished  to  obtain  the 
mind  and  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  this  subject,  why 
did  they  not  meet  according  to  the  order,  and  have  a 
general  assembly  of  the  several  quorums,  which  constitute 
the  spiritual  authorities  of  the  Church,  a  tribunal  from 
whose  Decision  there  was  no  appeal?  In  a  moment  the 
few  words  he  spoke  upon  this  subject  threw  a  flood  of 
light  upon  it.  The  Elders  remembered  then  the  proper 
order.  He  desired  to  see  an  assembly  of  the  quorums  at 
2  o'clock  that  afternoon,  every  quorum  in  its  place  and 
order,  and  a  general  meeting  also  of  the  members. " 

This  was  witnessed  in  the  afternoon  when  the  multi- 
tude again  met.  President  Young  addressed  the  congre- 
gation; his  commanding  voice  sounded  over  the  vast 
assembly:  "Attention  all."  He  showed  them  their  situa- 
tion. The  Twelve  were  appointed  by  the  finger  of  God; 
they  stand  next  to  the  Prophet  and  are  as  the  First  Presi- 
dency: if  any  man  is  appointed  to  lead  the  Church  the 
Twelve  must  ordain  him.  Any  other  course  would 


48  THE   LIFE   OF   BBIGHAM   YOUNG. 

scatter  the  Saints.  "I  have  spared  no  pains  to  learn 
my  lessons  of  the  kingdom  in  this  world  and  in  the 
eternal  worlds;  and  if  it  were  not  so  I  could  go  and  live 
in  peace;  but  for  the  gospel  and  for  your  sakes  I  shall 
stand  in  my  place.  *  Does  this  Church 

want  it  as  God  organized  it?  or  do  you  want  to  clip  the 
power  of  the  Priesthood  and  let  those  who  have  the  keys 
of  the  Priesthood  go  and  build  up  the  kingdom  in  all  the 
world,  wherever  the  people  will  hear  them?  If  there  is 
a  spokesman,  if  he  is  a  king  and  priest,  let  him  go  and 
build  up  a  kingdom  to  himself;  that  is  his  right  and  it  is 
the  right  of  many  here,  but  the  Twelve  are  at  the  head 
of  it.  *  *  *  If  ten  thousand  men  rise  up  and 
say  they  have  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith's  shoes,  I  know 
they  are  imposters.  *  I  tell  you  in  the  name 

of  the  Lord,  that  no  man  can  put  another  between  the 
Twelve  and  the  Prophet  Joseph.  Why?  Because 
Joseph  was  their  file  leader  and  he  has  committed  into 
their  hands  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  in  this  last  dispen- 
sation, for  all  the  world;  do  not  put  a  thread  between 
the  Priesthood  and  God.  *  *  *  We  have  a 
head,  and  that  head  is  the  Apostleship,  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Joseph,  and  we  can  now  begin  to  see  the 
necessity  of  that  Apostleship.  *  *  *  The  Twelve 
can  manage  the  affairs  of  the  Church  and  direct  all 
things  aright."  And  so  he  continued,  pointing  out  the 
order  of  succession  and  authority,  the  import  of  the 
revelations  and  the  laws  of  the  Church  which  were  for- 
gotten by  the  people,  or  hidden  from  them  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  hour. 

Always  bright  and  gifted,  Brigham  was  on  this,  as  on 
other  great  occasions,  most  uncommonly  endowed  with 
power.  It  required  a  strong  mind  to  hold  the  people, 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  49 

but  hi.s  determination  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  He 
was  not  a  man  of  many  smooth  words,  but  what  he/said 
was  full  of  force  and  meaning.  That  afternoon,  Sjdney 
Rigdon  was  like  a  child  in  the  presence  of  a  wise  man; 
he  said  not  a  word. 

Before  the  deciding  vote  was  taken,  Brigham  said, 
among  other  things:  "Brother  Joseph,  the  Prophet,  has 
laid  the  foundation  for  a  great  work,  and  we  will  build 
upon  it;  you  have  never  seen  the  quorums  built  one  upon 
another.  There  is  an  almighty  foundation  laid,  and  we 
can  build  a  kingdom  such  as  there  never  was  in  the 
world.  *  *  *  I  do  not  ask  you  to  take  my  counsel 
or  advice  alone,  but  every  one  of  you  act  for  himself. 
*  I  want  every  man  before  he  enters  into  a 
covenant  to  know  what  he  is  going  to  do;  but  we  want 
to  know  if  this  people  will  support  the  Priesthood  in  the 
name  of  Israel's  God.  If  you  say  you  will,  do  so." 

The  greatest  number  said  that  they  would  so  sustain- 
the  authorities;  Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve  were 
upheld,  and  the  Church  was  saved.  The  enemies  of  the 
Saints  were  soon  impressed  with  the  fact  that  "the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church."  Mor- 
monism  promised  to  grow  with  greater  force  than  ever 
before.  A  great  character  had  arisen  to  fill  the  place  of 
the  Prophet.  Upon  the  foundation  laid  a  kingdom  was 
to  be  built  whose  equal  "there  never  was  in  the  world." 


2.       BOGUS    BRIGHAM. 

But  while  this  was  the  case,  the  Anti-Mormons  also 
seemed  bent  upon  carrying  out  their  plans  which  were  to 
drive  the  Saints  away,  harass  or  utterly  destroy  them. 
They  were  not  satisfied  with  having  martyred  thejProphet 

I 


50  THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG. 

and  Patriarch.  They  seemingly  wished  tcTtreat  all  the 
leaders  in  a  like  manner  and  were  determined  to  scatter 
the  people. 

The  forced  exodus  to  the  West  was  near  at  hand. 
Before  the  Saints  should  forsake  their  homes  once  more, 
they  wished  to  enjoy  the  sacred  blessings  of  the  temple, 
and  were  therefore  counseled  to  bend  all  their  energies 
oipon  completing  the  edifice.  And  this  they  did,  often 
amidst  sore  persecutions  from  their  enemies.  The  leaders 
were  in  constant  danger  of  being  ensnared,  and  were  fre- 
quently compelled  to  go  into  hiding  to  avoid  arrest, 
emerging  from  concealment  when  danger  was  temporarily 
over. 

It  was  under  such  circumstances  that  the  "Bogus 
Brigham"  arrest  occurred.  The  President,  the  Twelve 
and  other  Elders  were  in  the  temple  when  a  marshal  and 
his  posse  came  to  the  door  to  arrest  Brigham  Young. 
William  Miller,  who  much  resembled  him,  threw  on  a 
cloak  at  the  request  of  Brigham  and  went  down  to  the 
entrance  of  the  building,  mutely  surrendering  to  the 
elated  officers.  People  who  appreciated  the  joke,  stood 
about  the  carriage  weeping  and  questioning,  but  Miller 
made  no  reply  and  soon  the  vehicle  containing  the  prize 
was  on  the  way  to  Carthage,  where  the  prisoner  was  to 
be  tried  on  some  fabricated  charge,  or  perhaps  treated  to 
powder  and  ball  as  was  Joseph  and  Hyrum.  The  sequel 
to  the  rich  ruse  is  thus  told  by  President  Young  himself: 
When  they  arrived  within  two  or  three  miles  of 
Carthage,  the  marshal,  with  his  posse,  stopped.  They 
arose  in  their  carriages,  buggies  and  wagons,  and,  like 
a  tribe  of  Indians  going  to  battle,  or  as  if  they  were  a 
pack  of  demons,  yelling  and  shouting,  exclaimed,  'We've 
got  him;  we've  got  him;  we've  got  him.' 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  51 

"When  they  reached  Carthage,  the  marshal  took  the 
supposed  Brigham  into  an  upper  room  of  the  hotel,  and 
placed  a  guard  over  him,  at  the  same  time  telling  those 
around  him  that  he  had  got  him.  Brother  Miller  re- 
mained in  the  room  until  they  bade  him  come  to  supper. 
While  there  parties  came  in,  one  after  the  other,  and 
asked  for  Brigham.  Brother  Miller  was  pointed  out  to 
them.  So  it  continued,  until  an  apostate  Mormon,  by 
the  name  of  Thatcher,  who  had  lived  in  Nauvoo,  came 
in,  sat  down  and  asked  the  landlord  where  Brigham  was. " 

''That  is  Mr.  Young,'  said  the  landlord,  pointing 
across  the  table  to  Brother  Miller. 

'  'Where?  I  can't  see  any  one  that  looks  like  Brig- 
ham,'  Thatcher  replied. 

"The    landlord     told     him     it    was    that     fleshy     man 
eating. 

"  'Oh,  h — 1'  exlaimed  Thatcher,  'that's  not  Brigham; 
that's  Wm.  Miller,  one  of  my  old  neighbors.' 

"Upon  hearing  this  the  landlord  went,  and  tapping 
the  sheriff  on  the  shoulder,  took  him  a  few  steps  to  one 
side,  and  said: 

'  'You  have  made  a  mistake.  That  is  not  Brigham 
Young.  It  is  Wm.  Miller,  of  Nauvoo.' 

"The  marshal,  very  much  astonished,  exclaimed: 
'Good  heavens,  and  he  passed  for  Brigham. '  He  then 
took  Brother  Miller  into  a  room,  and  turning  to  him, 
said:  'What  in  h — 1  is  the  reason  you  did  not  tell  me 
your  name?' 

''You  have  not  asked  me  my  name,'  Brother  Miller 
replied. 

1  'Well  what  is  your  name?  said  the  sheriff,  with 
another  oath. 

"  'My  name  is  William  Miller.' 


52  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

"  'I  thought  your  name  was  Brigham  Young.  Do  you 
say  this  for  a  fact?' 

"'Certainly  I  do,'  returned  Brother  Miller. 

"  'Then,'  said  the  marshal,  'why  did  you  not  tell  me 
that  before?' 

"'I  was  under  no  obligation  to  tell  you, '  replied 
Miller. 

"The  marshal  in  a  rage,  walked  out  of  the  room, 
followed  by  Brother  Miller,  who  walked  off  in  company 
with  Lawyer  Edmonds,  Sheriff  Backenstos  and  others, 
who  took  him  across  lots  to  a  place  of  safety;  and  this 
is  the  real  birth  of  the  story  of  'Bogus  Brigham,'  as  far 
as  1  can  recollect." 


3.       PERSECUTIONS    AND  ADVICE. 

Governor  Ford  came  to  Nauvoo,  on  the  27th  of 
September,  1844,  ostensibly  to  bring  the  murderers  of 
the  Prophet  Joseph  to  justice,  for  what  else  could  he 
do,  seeing  that  he  had  plighted  the  protection  of  the 
State? 

On  this  same  day  Brigham  Young  received  his  com- 
mission as  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion. 
On  the  28th,  the  Legion  was  reviewed  before  the  Gover- 
nor, some  of  the  members  coming  without  arms  evidently 
to  remind  him  of  the  disarmament  which  had  taken 
place  before  the  martyrdom. 

Soon  after  this  time,  Lieutenant-General  Young 
received  an  order  from  the  Governor  directing  him  to 
keep  a  sufficient  force  of  the  Legion  on  hand  to  guard 
the  court,  and  protect  it  -from  evil  persons  who  might 
wish  to  oppose  the  prosecution  of  the  murderers  of  Jos- 
eph and  Hyrum.  The  instructions  accompanying  this 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  53 

order  were  very  strange.  The  Lieutenant-General  was 
cautioned  that  the  order  was  "one  of  great  delicacy  to 
execute."  "If  it  should  be  the  means  of  getting  up  a 
civil  war  in  Hancock,  I  do  not  know  how  much  force  I 
could  bring  to  the  aid  of  the  government,"  continues  His 
Excellency.  Calling  the  Legion  to  service  might  bring 
war  between  the  factions,  and  hence,  the  order  was  more 
in  the  shape  of  "a  permission  to  use  the  Legion,  than  a 
compulsory  command." 

This  affair  is  significant  in  that  it  shows  that  the 
Mormons  were  legally  in  the  right.  But  with  the  Gov- 
ernor, it  was  not  policy  to  do  right,  if  the  Mormons 
should  gain  anything  thereby  and  their  enemies  be  placed 
within  the  law.  Brigham  Young  and  the  Legion  could 
have  protected  the  Mormons,  (this  could  also  have  been 
done  by  Joseph  and  the  Legion)  and  besides  maintained 
the  Governor  in  case  of  a  civil  war;  but  this  would  have 
placed  Illinois  under  the  domination  of  the  Mormons 
which  His  Excellency  would  under  no  consideration 
consent  to,  hence  his  remark  that'  his  order  was  one  of 
"great  delicacy  to  execute."  The  whole  thing  really 
meant  nothing,  it  was  a  sham  just  as  the  trial  of  the 
Prophet's  murderers  proved  to  be. 

It  was  clearly  apparent  that  no  law  could  touch  the 
Mormons,  and  so  their  enemies  adopted  the  policy  of 
out-lawing  them.  In  January,  1845,  the  Legislature, 
yielding  to  the  popular  clamor,  repealed  the  charter  of 
the  City  of  Nauvoo.  (The  Saints  in  April  of  this  year 
changed  the  name  to  The  City  of  Joseph,  in  honor  of 
the  Prophet.)  There  was  now  no  protection  whatever 
for  the  Mormons.  On  the  8th  of  April,  1845,  Governor 
Ford  wrote  to  President  Young  advising  him  to  "get 
off  by  yourselves"  where  "you  may  enjoy  peace."  He 


54  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

counseled  him  likewise  in  confidence  to  migrate  with  his 
people  to  California. 

It  was  unnecessary  that  the  Governor  should  so 
advise.  The  course  to  be  pursued  in  seeking  a  resting 
spot,  a  place  of  refuge  in  the  West,  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  had  already  been  decided  upon  by  Brigham 
Young,  and  preparations  to  carry  the  plan  into  effect  had 
begun.  The  Saints  could  and  did  rely  on  him  as  one 
who  never  knowingly  deviated  from  a  fixed  purpose. 
Believing  Joseph  Smith  to  be  inspired,  he  followed  in 
his  footsteps,  and  built  upon  the  foundation  laid  by 
him.  Far  be  it  from  him  to  fail  in  the  execution  of  any 
plan  which  had  been  outlined  by  the  Prophet,  either  in 
temporal  or  spiritual  things.  "As  a  designer  Joseph 
Smith  was  without  a  peer  among  his  fellows;  as  an 
executor  Brigham  Young  without  a  parallel.  Each  was 
the  other's  complement,  and  neither  career  alone,  in  the 
eternal  fitness  of  things  would  have  been  complete*. " 

But  the  advice  was  offered  nevertheless,  and  Gover- 
nor Ford  was  not  alone  in  giving  it,  as  Senator  Douglass 
and  others  had  expressed  similar  views. 

The  advice  would  soon  be  heeded.  Before  parting 
from  their  homes  the  Saints  through  a  committee  of 
which  Brigham  Young  was  the  chairman,  memorialized 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  also  all  the 
Governors  of  the  country,  asking  for  aid  and  sympathy 
in  their  exile,  and  also  setting  forth  the  wrongs  which 
they  had  endured  in  Missouri  and  Illinois.  This  action  ac- 
quainted the  nation  with  the  grievances  of  the  afflicted 
people,  but  their  appeals  went  unheeded,  and  unanswered, 
too,  save  in  a  single  instance. 


*Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  I.,  p,  239. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  55 

4.       COMMANDED    TO    LEAVE    THE    §TATE. 

In  May,  1845,  a  faint  effort  was  made  to  bring  the 
murderers  of  the  Prophet  and  his  brother  Hyrum  to  jus- 
tice, but  after  a  trial,  they  were  "honorably  acquitted," 
— a  fair  criterion  of  the  sentiments  entertained  by  the 
citizens  and  the  courts  against  the  Mormons,  and  a 
sample  of  the  "justice"  of  those  days. 

The  acquittal  of  the  assassins  so  emboldened  the 
mob  element,  that  no  sooner  was  it  generally  known 
than  fresh  outrages,  burnings  and  persecutions,  were 
inflicted  upon  the  defenseless  Saints.  Their  houses  were 
fired  and  the  people  driven  from  place  to  place,  until, 
fearing  massacre,  the  Saints  in  the  outlying  settlements 
fled  to  Nauvoo  for  protection.  The  whole  State  was  in 
great  excitement. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Governor  Ford  called 
out  the  State  militia  to  restore  order.  General  Hardin 
was  sent  to  Hancock  County  October  1st,  1845,  for  this 
purpose;  and,  having  proclaimed  peace  to  the  people 
and  commanded  the  mob  to  obey  authority,  he  next  held 
a  conference  with  the  Mormon  leaders  in  which  he  asked 
them  to  leave  the  State,  the  movement  to  begin  in  the 
spring.  The  requisition  was  made  by  representatives 
from  nine  counties  of  the  State  assembled  at  Carthage. 
Brigham  Young  and  his  people  agreed  to  the  demand, 
knowing  full  well  that  there  was  no  alternative  between 
exodus  and  extermination  by  massacre.  General  Hardin 
ivished  to  know  what  guarantee  would  be  given  that  the 
Mormons  would  fulfill  their  part  of  the  agreement,  to 
which  President  Young  replied  with  cutting  strictness: 
"You  have  our  all  as  a  guarantee;  what  more  can  we 
.give  beyond  the  guarantee  of  our  names?"  But  the 


56  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

General  afterward,  in  writing.  requested  a  written 
statement  setting  forth  the  facts  and  intentions  stated  to 
him  by  the  Mormons,  in  order  that  he  might  lay  them 
before  the  Governor  and  the  people  of  the  State. 

In  reply  President  Young  and  the  Council  at  Nauvoo 
sent  them  a  copy  of  the  propositions  previously  sub- 
mitted to  the  committee  from  Quincy,  in  answer  to  a 
similar  request.  They  added  that  preparations  to  remove 
were  made  previous  to  the  recent  disturbances.  They 
were  fully  determined  to  move  in  the  spring,  indepen- 
dent of  the  contingency  of  selling  their  property.  The 
first  company  would  comprise  from  five  to  six  thousand 
souls.  Others  would  follow,  and  all  were  determined  to 
remove  to  some  distant  point  where  they  shoald  neither 
infringe  nor  be  infringed  upon.  They  requested  the 
good  citizens  to  help  them  sell  their  property  which 
they  would  not  sacrifice,  give  away,  or  surfer  to  be  illeg- 
ally wrested  from  them,  whether  they  found  pur- 
chasers or  not.  Concluding  they  said:  "If  these  testi- 
monies are  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  any  people  that  we 
are  in  earnest,  we  will  soon  give  them  a  sign  that  can  not 
be  mistaken — we  will  leave  them!" 


5.        THE    EXODUS. 

As  rapidly  as  possible  preparations  were  made  to 
move  westward,  pursuant  to  the  agreement  made.  Land 
was  disposed  of,  leased  or  exchanged  for  animals  and 
wagons;  and  such  household  property  as  could  not  be 
taken,  was  sold,  or  left  for  sale  in  the  care  of  agents. 

The  Saints  had  made  great  efforts  to  complete  the 
Temple,  so  that  they  might  enjoy  its  holy  ordinances 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  57 

before  setting  out  upon  their  journey.  It  was  so  far 
completed  in  October,  1845,  that  a  three  days'  conference 
was  held  in  it;  and  during  December  of  that  year  and 
the  following  January,  Brigham  Young  and  other  of  the 
Apostles  administered  to  many  hundreds  of  the  people 
therein.  The  holy  building,  had  been  all  but  completed 
in  the  midst  of  renewed  persecution,  and  the  administer- 
ing of  the  ordinances  of  endowment  took  place  while 
preparations  were  being  made  to  evacuate  the  city. 

The  exodus  began  on  the  4th  of  February,  1846, 
Charles  Shumway  being  the  first  person  to  cross  the 
river  on  his  way  west.  The  ferries,  over  the  Mississippi 
were  afterward  kept  busy  night  and  day,  until  the  river 
froze  over,  when  crossing  was  continued  on  the  ice.  The 
first  camp  was  on  Sugar  Creek,  nine  miles  west  into 
Iowa.  There  the  advance  companies  pitched  their  tents, 
until  the  leaders  and  the  remainder  should  arrive. 
Brigham  Young,  who,  with  the  Twelve,  directed  all  the 
movements,  crossed  over  and  arrived  at  the  camp  on  the 
15th.  It  was  now  bitterly  cold.  Already  great  suffering 
had  been  endured.  The  poor  exiles,  with  their  sick 
families,  camped  in  the  snow,  scraping  it  from  the 
ground  to  make  their  beds,  or  slept  in  the  cold  wagons 
almost  in  sight  of  their  comfortable  homes  from  which 
they  had  been  driven.  Snow,  storm,  savages,  and  the 
untrodden  wilderness  lay  before  them. 

Well  might  it  be  said  that  "there  is  no  parallel  in 
the  world's  history  to  this  migration  from  Nauvoo. " 

The  first  night  out  "nine  wives  became  mothers; 
nine  children  were  born  in  tents  and  wagons  in  that 
wintry  camp.  How  these  tender  babes,  these  sick  and 
delicate  women  were  cared  for  under  such  conditions,  is 
left  to  the  imagination  of  the  sensitive  reader.  How 
5 


58  THE   LIFE    OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

these  Mormon  exiles,  outcasts  of  civilization,  carrying 
their  aged,  infirm  and  helpless  across  the  desolate  plains 
and  prairies,  were  tracked  and  trailed  thereafter  by  the 
nameless  graves  of  their  dead,  is  a  tale  which,  though 
often  attempted,  has  never  been  and  never  will  be  fully 
told."* 

It  was  under  such  circumstances  that  the  labor  of 
temporary  organization,  by  Brigham  Young,  began  at 
Sugar  Creek.  Getting  into  a  wagon,  his  voice  rang  out 
over  the  congregation:  "Attention,  the  whole  Camp  of 
Israel!"  There  stood  the  law-giver  and  commander,  kind 
and  great  in  the  midst  of  suffering:  undaunted,  self- 
possessed  in  affliction's  sorest  trial.  Then  followed  prac- 
tical, plain  instructions  as  to  the  order  and  arrangement 
of  the  camp;  with  a  tone  of  authority,  tempered  with 
love  and  firmness,  he  told  the  people  that,  "we  will  have 
no  laws  we  cannot  keep,  but  we  will  have  order  in  the 
camp.  If  any  want  to  live  in  peace  when  we  have  left 
this  place,  they  must  toe  the  mark." 

The  companies  now  consisted  of  about  four  hundred 
wagons,  but  there  were  not  enough  teams  to  make  a  rapid 
journey.  After  having  petitioned  the  Governor  of  Iowa 
for  protection  while  passing  through  his  Territory, 
President  Young  and  the  Apostles  made  a  farewell  visit 
to  Nauvoo,  and  while  there  held  a  parting  service  in  the 
Temple,  giving  needed  counsel  to  the  remnant  of  the 
Saints  who  were  to  remain  a  short  season,  but  whose 
destiny  it  was  to  surfer  even  more  than  their  comrades 
who  had  gone  before.  Returning  to  the  Camp  on  Sugar 
Creek,  President  Young  gave  orders  to  advance  on  the 
1st  day  of  March,  and  by  noon  of  that  day  the  Cam 


'Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  I.  p.  249. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  59 

began  to  move.  As  a  parting  thought,  he  wrote  in  his 
diary:  "Our  homes,  gardens,  orchards,  farms,  streets, 
mills,  bridges,  public  halls,  magnificent  Temple,  and 
other  public  improvements,  we  leave  as  a  monument  of 
our  patriotism,  industry,  economy,  uprightness  of  pur- 
pose, and  integrity  of  heart,  as  a  living  testimony  of  the 
falsehood  and  wickedness  of  those  who  charge  us  with 
disloyalty  to  the  Constitution  of  our  country,  idleness  and 
dishonesty." 

That  day  the  Camp  traveled  five  miles.  Then  from 
day  to  day  the  weary  march  was  slowly  continued  in 
mud,  snow  and  rain.  The  exiled  people,  strengthened  by 
a  higher  Power,  pressed  on  in  search  of  a  new  home,  in 
some  unknown  place  among  the  mountains,  where  mobs 
could  not  molest. 

Shoal  Creek,  in  the  Chariton  River  region,  was 
reached  on  the  27th  of  March.  In  this  place  the  Camps 
were  delayed  about  three  weeks  by  freshets,  and  in  the 
mean  time  a  more  complete  organization  was  effected. 
Companies  of  "hundreds,"  "fifties,"  and  "tens"  were 
formed,  and  captains  appointed  over  them.  The  journey 
was  thereafter  continued,  and  at  various  points  in  Iowa, 
between  the  two  great  rivers,  temporary  settlements  were 
made,  chief  among  which  were  Garden  Grove  and  Mount 
Pisgah,  where  farming  operations  were  engaged  in  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  should  follow  after. 

About  June  15th,  Brigham  Young,  with  the  vanguard 
of  the  migrating  trains,  reached  the  Missouri,  followed 
by  the  main  body  in  July.  They  stopped  at  a  place  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  which  they  named  Kanesville, 
now  known  as  Council  Bluffs.  Soon  a  part  crossed  to 
the  west  side  of  the  river  pitching  their  tents  upon  the 
Indian  lands.  The  Saints  in  both  places  were  heartily 


60  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

welcomed  by  the  Pottawatomie  and  the  Omaha  Indians. 
Later  in  the  season,  in  what  is  now  Florence,  was 
founded  the  celebrated  Winter  Quarters,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  about  four  thousand  souls. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  Mormon  leader  to  hasten 
onward  that  summer  and  fall  with  a  band  of  pioneers  to 
explore  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  muster  for  volun- 
teers, for  this  purpose,  was  in  progress  at  Mount  Pisgah, 
under  the  direction  of  Apostle  Woodruff  who  had  recent- 
ly returned  from  England,  when  the  Mormon  nation  of 
twelve  thousand  souls,  thus  stretching  across  the  whole 
of  Iowa,  was  startled  by  a  call  for  volunteers — for  a  Mor- 
mon battalion — to  do  battle  for  their  country  against 
Mexico. 

This  event  changed  the  plans,  and  the  people  were 
compelled  to  remain  in  Winter  Quarters,  and  in  the 
other  settlements  in  Iowa,  over  winter. 


6.      THE  PRESIDENT'S  WISDOM  AND  WATCHCARE. 

The  magnitude  of  an  undertaking  of  thus  transplant- 
ing a  whole  people,  many  of  whom  were  without  even 
the  common  necessities  of  life,  from  prosperous  homes  to 
a  wilderness,  may  better  be  imagined  than  described. 
Numbers  of  these  people,  upon  beginning  their  journey, 
had  only  enough  supplies  for  themselves  and  their  animals, 
for  a  few  days.  Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve  started 
with  provisions  enough  for  a  year,  but  in  a  few  weeks  this 
had  all  been  distributed  to  the  needy  and  the  suffering 
in  the  Camp.  There  were  many  things  to  hinder  the 
progress  of  the  train  in  their  onward  course.  Amidst 
cold,  exposure,  sickness,  hunger,  and  their  attendant 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  61 

hardships,  it  is  little  wonder  that  dissatisfaction'  at  times 
broke  out,  that  some  persons  in  the  camp  became  un- 
manageable. It  is  a  wonder,  however,  that  so  little  dis- 
union existed,  that  such  satisfaction  prevailed.  The 
people,  of  course,  had  their  faults  and  weaknesses,  but 
it  must  be  remembered  they  were  surrounded  by  circum- 
stances where  these  were  sure  to  be  made  apparent. 

Upon  Brigham  Young  rested  the  whole  responsibility 
of  providing,  adjusting,  organizing  and  planning.  His 
annoyances,  perplexities  and  anxieties  were  severe,  and, 
indeed,  wore  so  heavily  upon  him  that  in  one  public 
meeting  he'  is  said  to  have  remarked  that  he  could 
scarcely  keep  from  lying  down  and  sleeping  to  await  the 
resurrection. 

But  such  feelings  were  not  long  at  a  time  entertained 
by  him.  His  jovial  spirit  soon  returned  to  kindle  new 
life  in  his  followers,  and  his  wise  counsels  and  firm  de- 
meanor, as  well  as  his  just  decisions,  engendered  peace 
and  harmony  among  them. 

He  understood  fully  human  nature,  and  realized  that 
work  is  necessary  to  contentment  and  happiness.  Labor 
was  therefore  provided.  During  the  stay  in  Winter 
Quarters,  a  grist  mill  was  erected  which  the  Saints 
scarcely  expected  would  be  of  much  benefit  to  them,  but 
it  gave  the  men  employment,  and  kept  them  from  the 
worst  of  all  evils,  idleness.  In  addition  to  building  the 
mill  and  digging  the  race,  and  providing  shelter  for  their 
families,  a  council  house  was  erected.  Willow  baskets, 
washboards  and  half-bushel  measures,  were  extensiv.ely 
manufactured.  The  women,  besides  attending  to  their 
household  duties,  were  occupied  in  spinning,  knitting, 
and  making  leggings  from  skins  of  animals.  Some  of 
the  men,  in  the  various  camps,  took  work  on  farms,  split 


62  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

rails,  cleared  timber,  fenced  land,  and  husked  corn. 
The  whole  community  were  thus  engaged  in  creating  re- 
sources on  the  way,  and  were  as  happy  as  they  were  busy. 
The  President  counseled,  directed,  and  with  uncommon 
care  watched  over  the  migrating  thousands.  He  super- 
intended the  work  with  a  zeal  and  watch-care  unequalled. 
Says  the  camp  journalist:  "He  sleeps  with  one  eye  open 
and  one  foot  out  of  bed,  and  when  anything  is  wanted, 
he  is  on  hand."  His  care  "was  extended,"  says  Tullidge, 
"to  every  family,  every  soul;  even  the  very  animals  had 
the  master  friend  near  to  ease  and  succor  them.  A 
thousand  anecdotes  could  be  told  of  that  journey  to  illus- 
trate this.  "When  traveling,  or  in  camp,  he  was  ever 
looking  after  the  welfare  of  all.  No  poor  horse  or  ox 
even  had  a  tight  collar  or  a  bow  too  small  but  his  eye 
would  see  it.  Many  times  did  he  get  out  of  his  vehicle 
and  see  that  some  suffering  animal  was  relieved."* 

Understanding  the  good  effect  that  a  happy  mind  has 
on  the  body,  he  was  not  averse  to  amusements,  and  fre- 
quently permitted  dancing,  and  other  recreation  to  a 
proper  extent,  since  such  diversion  tended  to  lighten 
present  toils,  and  to  assuage  the  troubles  of  the  past — 
to  make  the  most  of  joy  and  the  least  of  sorrow.  The 
camp  was  thus  made  measurably  free  from  useless  re- 
pining. "We  were  happy  and  contented,"  says  John 
Taylor,  "and  the  songs  of  Zion  resounded  from  wagon 
to  wagon,  reverberating  through  the  woods."  They  had 
a  brass  band  along,  Captain  Pitt's,  that  frequently 
cheered  the  drooping  spirit  by  strains  of  music. 

"On  the  night  of  March  1st,  when  the  first  camp 
was  pitched  beyond  Sugar  Creek,  after  prayer  they  held 


*Tullidge's  History  of  Salt  Lake  City,  p.  21. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  63 

a  dance,  and  as  the  men  of  Iowa  looked  on  they  won- 
dered how  these  homeless  outcasts  from  Christian  civil- 
ization could  thus  praise  and  make  merry  in  view  of  their 
near  abandoning  of  themselves  to  the  mercies  of  savages 
and  wild  beasts."*  In  the  song  and  the  dance  the  Saints 
praised  the  Lord.  When  the  night  was  fine,  and  supper, 
which  consisted  of  the  most  primitive  fare,  was  over, 
some  of  the  men  would  clear  away  the  snow,  while  others 
bore  logs  to  the  camp-fires  in  anticipation  of  the  jubilee 
of  the  evening.  Soon,  in  a  sheltered  place,  the  blazing 
fires  would  roar,  and  fifty  couples,  old  and  young,  would 
join,  in  the  merriest  spirit,  to  the  music  of  the  band  or 
the  rival  revelry  of  the  solitary  fiddle.  As  they  journeyed 
along,  too,  strangers  constantly  visited  their  camps,  and 
great  was  their  wonderment  to  see  the  order,  unity  and 
good  feeling  that  prevailed  in  the  midst  of  the  people. 
By  the  camp  fires  they  would  linger,  listening  to  the 
music  of  the  song;  and  they  fain  had  taken  part  in  the 
merriment  had  not  those  scenes  been  as  sacred  worship 
in  the  exodus  of  a  God-fearing  people,  f 

"After  the  completion  of  the  council  house,  (in  Win- 
ter Quarters)  arrangements  were  made  for  a  number  of 
dancing  parties  and  festivals  to  be  held  in  it,  and  Presi- 
dent Young  proposed  to  show  them  how  to  go  forth  in 
the  dance  in  a  manner  acceptable  before  the  Lord.  He 
did  so  by  offering  up  prayer  to  God  at  the  opening  and 
closing  of  the  exercises  and  permitting  only  modest  de- 
portment and  decorum  throughout.  J 

That  winter  his  wisdom   in  dealing  with  the  Indians 


*Bancroft's  History  of  Utah,  p.  220. 
fTullide's  History  of  Salt  Lake  City,  p.  21. 
JGeo.  Q.  Cannon,  in  Jrtvenile  Instructor. 


64  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

was  revealed.  Living  on  Indian  lands,  and  being  fre- 
quently annoyed  by  the  red  men  who  stole  their  cattle, 
a  conflict  easily  could  have  been  provoked;  but  Brigham 
took  great  pains  tu  instruct  the  people  as  to  the  just  and 
proper  manner  of  treating  the  Indians.  The  result  was 
a  good  feeling  between  the  savages  and  the  Mormons. 
His  policy  towards  the  Indians,  of  feeding  instead  of 
fighting  them,  was  then  adopted,  and  to  his  honor  ever 
after  maintained. 

The  Saints'  spiritual  welfare,  the  moving  motive  of 
their  exodus,  was  not  neglected,  frequent  meetings  being 
held,  in  which  the  people  were  stirred  to  diligence  in  re- 
ligious duties.  Thus  the  temporal  and  the  spiritual 
joined  hands;  the  wanderers  both  watched  and  prayed; 
religious  zeal  had  a  companion  in  common  sense, — all 
combining  to  keep  the  Mormon  pilgrims  cheerful  and 
healthy  in  mind.  With  the  body  and  the  intellect 
feasted  on  pleasant  thoughts  and  themes,  peace  and  har- 
mony prevailed  in  the  "Camps  of  Israel." 


7.        THE    MORMON    BATTALION. 

That  there  should  be  consternation  in  camp  at  Mt. 
Pisgah,  on  the  26th  of  June,  1846,  when  Captain  J.  Allen 
made  his  call  for  volunteers,  is  not  surprising;  the  peo- 
ple were  by  this  time  so  accustomed  to  persecution,  that 
it  was  little  wonder  they  thought  the  United  States  army 
was  upon  them,  when  they  heard  of  the  officer's  arrival. 

The  Brannan  compact,  then  probably  known  at  Mt. 
Pisgah,  was  one  cause  that  tended  to  confirm  this  idea: 
About  the  time  that  the  Saints  left  Nauvoo,  Elder  Samuel 
Brannan  sailed  »vith  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  Mor- 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  65 

mons,  on  the  ship  Brooklyn,  for  California,  intending 
to  join  those  who  left  Nauvoo  somewhere  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  Before  sailing  from  New  York,  Brannan  entered 
into  a  peculiar  agreement  with  one  A.  G.  Benson,  who 
represented  a  company  of  Washington  sharpers,  requiring 
the  Mormons  to  transfer  to  said  Benson  &  Company  the 
odd  numbers  of  all  the  lands  and  town  lots  which  they 
might  acquire  in  the  country  where  they  should  settle — 
for  be  it  known,  the  Saints  were  leaving  the  United 
States  to  pass  into  the  dominions  of  Mexico,  which  then 
extended  over  the  whole  West  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
Brannan  was  prevailed  upon  to  sign  such  an  agreement, 
and  he  forwarded  it  to  the  Mormon  leaders  for  their  ap- 
proval and  signatures,  with  the  information  that  if  they 
did  not  sign  the  document,  President  Polk  would  issue  a 
proclamation  setting  forth  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  Mormons  to  take  sides  with  either  Mexico  or  Great 
Britain,  which  latter  country  then  claimed  Oregon,  in 
the  impending  struggle  against  the  United  States,  inter.- 
cept  them,  and  order  them  to  be  disarmed  and  dispersed. 
But  if  they  did  sign,  then  they  were  to  be  allowed  to 
proceed  unmolested.  When  this  strange  document  came 
to  President  Young,  he  called  a  council  of  the  Twelve, 
(Sugar  Creek,  Feb.  17,  1846,)  resulting  in  the  emphatic 
rejection  of  the  proposition/  without  even  a  reply.  "We 
concluded  that  our  trust  is  in  God,  and  we  look  to  Him 
for  protection,"  said  they,  and,  added  President  Young,. 
"This  was  a  plan  of  political  demagogues  to  rob  the 
Latter.-day  Saints  of  millions  and  compel  them  to  submit 
to  it  by  threats  of  Federal  bayonets." 

But  is  the  threat  to  be  carried  out?  was  the  question 
that. naturally  arose  in  the  minds  of  the  people  when  the 
officer  appeared  in  Mount  Pisgah. 


66  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

His  appearance,  however,  was  not  due  to  the  Bran- 
nan  letter,  but  resulted  from  a  very  different  cause.  War 
broke  out  between  our  country  and  Mexico,  in  April, 
1846.  Just  previous  to  this  time,  and  shortly  after  the 
Saints  left  Nauvoo,  Brigham  Young  had  sent  Elder  Jesse 
C.  Little  to  Washington  to  try  to  obtain  aid,  if  possible, 
from  the  nation,  to  assist  them  in  their  march.  It  was 
thought  that  they  might  be  permitted  to  freight  govern- 
ment provisions  and  stores  to  Oregon  and  other  Pacific 
Coast  points.  Elder  Little  succeeded  to  such  an  extent 
that  assistance  was  about  to  be  granted,  when  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war  with  Mexico  determined  President  Polk 
upon  the  design  of  hurriedly  taking  possession  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  of  using  the  migrating  Mormons  for  this 
purpose.  This  project  was  matured  and  about  to  be 
carried  out,  when  it  was  changed  through  the  influence 
of  Senator  Thomas  Benton,  an  old  Missouri  enemy  of 
the  Mormons.  Another  plan  was  then  adopted,  which 
involved  a  call  for  five  hundred  Mormon  volunteers  to 
form  a  part  of  the  force  which  was  to  invade  New  Mex- 
ico and  California,  under  General  Kearney,  the  com- 
mander of  the  army  of  the  West,  then  at  Santa  Fe. 
When  the  Commander  received  the  President's  order,  he 
detailed  Captain  Allen  to  proceed  to  the  camps  of  the 
Saints,  muster  the  battalion,  and  march  them  to  Fort 
Leavenworth  there  to  be  armed  and  prepared  for  ser- 
vice, then  to  follow  the  trail  of  General  Kearney  and  the 
main  army. 

Thus  originated  the  call  for  the  Mormon  Battalion. 
To  this  day  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
whether  it  was  meant  for  the  good,  or  for  the  destruction 
of  the  Mormons.  It  is  plainly  evident  that  the  Saints 
in  that  day  viewed  it  in  the  latter  light.  The  leaders 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  67 

looked  upon  it  as  a  test  of  the  loyalty  of  the  Mormons  to 
their  country;  and  so,  when  the  recruiting  officer  came 
to  President  Young,  at  Council  Bluffs,  and  laid  his 
errand  before  him,  (for  it  was  a  question  of  too  much 
importance  to  be  considered  by  the  authorities  at  Mount 
Pisgah,  with  a  view  to  giving  an  answer,  or  even  to 
expressing  an  opinion,  until  the  chief  Apostle  was  con- 
sulted,) he  promptly  replied:  "You  shall  have  your 
battalion,  Captain  Allen,  and  if  there  are  not  young  men 
enough,  we  will  take  the  old  men,  and  if  they  are  not 
enough,  we  will  take  the  women. " 

Let  us  remember  the  circumstances  that  surrounded 
this  people;  the  story  of  their  recent  treatment  from  the 
citizens  and  the  government  of  Illinois;  the  scenes  of 
Missouri,  and  then  it  can  be  more  fully  understood  with 
what  nobility  of  mind  the  Mormons  responded  to  the 
call  of  their  country — what  patriotism  inspired  them. 
Taking  up  the  key  words  of  their  leader,  "You  shall 
have  your  battalion, "  leading  Elders  cheerfully  responded 
to  the  call.  Men  were  sent  to  all  the  camps  to  summon 
to  'headquarters,  the  old  men  and  the  boys  to  supply  the 
place  of  the  men — the  strength  of  the  people — who  were 
enlisted  in  the  battalion.  When  all  were  gathered  in 
Council  Bluffs,  President  Young,  at  a  meeting  in  the 
bowery,  July  15th,  1846,  delivered  to  the  congregation 
an  earnest  speech,  in  which  he  told  his  people  "not  to 
mention  families  today;  we  want  to  conform  to  the  re- 
quisition made  upon  us,  and  we  will  do  nothing  else  until 
we  accomplish  this  thing.  If  we  want  the  privilege  of 
going  where  we  can  worship  God  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  our  consciences,  we  must  raise  the  battalion.  I 
say,  it  is  right;  and  who  cares  for  sacrificing  our  comfort 
for  a  few  years?  *  *  *  I  want  to  say  to 


68  '    THE   LIFE   OF   BBIGHAM   YOUNG. 

every  man,  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  as 
framed  by  our  fathers,  was  dictated,  was  revealed,  was 
put  into  their  hearts  by  the  Almighty,  who  sits  enthroned 
in  the  midst  of  the  heavens;  although  unknown  to  them 
it  was  dictated  by  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  I 
tell  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  is  as  good  as 
ever  I  could  ask  for.  I  say  unto  you,  magnify  the  laws. 
There  is  no  law  in  the  United  States,  or  in  the  constitu- 
tion, but  I  am  ready  to  make  honorable. " 

Colonel  Thomas  L.  Kane,  who  was  present  at  the 
time  of  the  muster,  says  of  the  event:  "A  central  mass 
meeting  for  council,  some  harangues  at  the  remotely 
scattered  camps,  an  American  flag  brought  out  from  the 
store-house  of  things  rescued  and  hoisted  to  the  top  of  a 
tree  mast,  and  in  three  days  the  force  was  reported, 
mustered,,  organized  and  ready  to  march." 


*There  was  no  sentimental  affectation  at  their  leave-taking  It  was  the 
custom,  whenever  the  larger  camps  rested  for  a  few  days  together,  to  make 
great  arbors  or  boweries,  as  they  called  them,  of  poles,  and  brush,  and  wattl- 
ing, as  places  of  shelter  lor  their  meetings  of  devotion  or  conference.  In  one 
of  these,  where  the  ground  had  been  trodden  firm  and  hard  by  the  worship- 
ers, was  gathered  now  the  mirth  and  beauty  of  the  Mormon  Israel.  If  any- 
thing told  that  the  Mormons  had  been  bred  to  other  lives  it  was  the  appear- 
ance of  the  women  as  they  assembled  here.  Before  their  flight  they  had  sold 
their  watches  and  trinkets  as  the  most  available  recourse  for  raising  ready 
money;  and  hence,  like  their  partners,  who  wore  waistcoats  cut  with  useless 
watch  pockets,  they,  although  their  ears  were  pierced  and  bore  the  marks  of 
rejected  pendants,  were  without  ear-rings,  chains  or  brooches.  Except  such 
ornaments,  however,  they  lacked  nothing  most  becoming  the  attire  of  decorous 
maidens.  The  neatly  darned  white  stockings,  and  clean  white  petticoat,  the 
clear-starched  collar  and  chemisette,  the  something  faded,  only  because  too 
well  washed,  lawn  or  gingham  gown,  that  fitted  modestly  to  the  waist  of  its 
pretty  wearer — these,  if  any  of  them  spoke  of  poverty,  spoke  of  a  poverty  that 
had  known  better  days.  With  the  re?t  attended  the  Elders  of  the  Church 
within  call,  including  nearly  all  the  chiefs  of  the  High  Council,  with  their 
wives  and  children.  They,  the  bravest  and  most  trouble-worn,  seemed  the 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  69 

There  was  a  farewell  ball  in  the  bowery*  that  after- 
noon, in  which  the  hours  were  merrily  chased  away,  then 
the  parting;  and  on  the  16th  the  advance  companies  of 
that  famous  band  of  five  hundred  and  forty-nine  souls, 
began  their-  journey  for  Fort  Leavenworth.  Their 
exploits  on  the  long  march,  their  discoveries  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  their  early  settlement  in  Utah,  are  matters 
of  history. 


8.        WITH    THE    PIONEERS. 

Space  does  not  permit  more  than  mere  reference  to 
the  troubles  of  the  remnant  at  Nauvoo  who,  in  the  fall 
of  1846,  were  driven  from  their  homes,  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet,  after  an  unsuccessful  effort  at  defending 
themselves.  Their  fate  was  even  worse  than  that  of  their 
brethren  and  sisters  who  preceded  them  into  the  wilder- 
ness. They  numbered  about  six  hundred  and  forty  per- 
sons. "Dreadful,  indeed,"  says  Col.  Thomas  L.  Kane, 


most  anxious  of  any  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  heavy  thoughts  Their  lead- 
ing off  the  dance  in  a  double  cotillion  was  the  signal  which  bade  the  festivity 
to  commence. 

Light  hearts,  lithe  figures,  and  light  feet  had  it  their  own  way  from  an  early 
hour  till  after  the  sun  had  dipped  behind  the  sharp  sky-line  of  the  Omaha 
hills  Silence  was  then  called,  and  a  well-cultivated  mezzo  soprano  voice, 
belonging  to  a  young  lady  with  fair  face  and  dark  eyes,  gave  with  quartette 
accompaniment,  a  little  song,  the  notes  of  which  I  have  been  unsuccessful  in 
repeated  efforts  !o  obtain  since — a  version  of  the  text  touching  to  all  earthly 
wanderers  : 

"By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  we  sat  down  and  wept ; 

We  wept  when  we  remembered  Zion.'1 

There  was  danger  of  some  expression  of  feeling  when  the  song  was  over 
for  it  had  begun  to  draw  tears,  but,  breaking  the  quiet  with  his  hard  voice,  an 
Elder  asked  the  blessings  of  heaven  on  all  who,  with  purity  of  heart  and 
brotherhood  of  spirit,  had  mingled  in  that  society,  and  then  all  dispersed, 
hastening  to  cover  from  the  falling  dew. — THOMAS  L.  KANK. 


70  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

"was  the  suffering  of  these  forsaken  beings,  bowed  and 
cramped  by  cold  and  sunburn,  alternating  as  each  weary 
day  and  night  dragged  on.  They  were,  almost  all  of 
them,  the  crippled  victims  of  disease.  They  were  there 
because  they  had  no  homes,  nor  hospital,  nor  poor-house, 
nor  friends  to  offer  them  any.  They  could  not  satisfy 
the  feeble  cravings  of  their  sick;  they  had  not  bread  to 
satisfy  the  fractious  hunger-cries  of  their  children. 
Mothers  and  babes,  daughters  and  grandparents,  all  of 
them  alike,  were  bivouacked  in  tatters  wanting  even 
covering  to  comfort  those  whom  the  sick  shiver  of  fever 
was  searching  to  the  marrow." 

We  have  already  touched,  in  a  few  words,  upon  the 
condition  of  the  Saints  who  remained,  during  the  winter 
of  1846-7  in  Winter  Quarters  and  in  Iowa.  It  was,  of 
course,  President  Young's  intention  to  have  them  press 
west,  as  early  as  possible  in  the  spring.  He  received 
"The  word  and  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  the 
Camp  of  Israel  in  their  journeyings  to  the  West,"  on  the 
14th  day  of  January,  1847;  from  this  revelation,  the  first 
through  him  that  was  ever  written,  we  may  form  a  con- 
ception of  the  character  of  the  preparations  that  were  to 
be  made  for  the  continued  exodus.  It  is  to  be  found  in 
the  136th  section  of  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
and  we  quote  from  the  2nd  verse  to  the  33d,  inclusive: 

Let  all  the  people  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  those  who  journey  with  them,  be 
organized  into  companies,  with  a  covenant  and  promise 
to  keep  all  the  commandments  and  statutes  of  the  Lord 
our  God. 

Let  the  companies  be  organized  with  captains  of 
hundreds,  captains  of  fifties,  and  captains  of  tens,  with  a 
president  and  his  two  counselors  at  their  head,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Twelve  Apostles; 


THE   LIFE   OF  BBIGHAM   YOUNG.  71 

And  this  shall  be  our  covenant,  that  we  will  walk  in 
all  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord. 

Let  each  company  provide  themselves  with  all  the 
teams,  wagons,  provisions,  clothing,  and  other  necces- 
saries  for  the  journey  that  they  can. 

When  the  companies  are  organized,  let  them  go  to 
with  their  might,  to  prepare  for  those  who  are  to  tarry. 
Let  each  company  with  their  captains  and  presidents 
decide  how  many  can  go  next  spring;  then  choose  out  a 
sufficient  number  of  able-bodied  and  expert  men,  to  take 
teams,  seeds,  and  farming  utensils,  to  go  as  pioneers  to 
prepare  for  putting  in  spring  crops. 

Let  each  company  bear  an  equal  proportion,  accord- 
ing to  the  dividend  of  their  property,  in  taking  the  poor, 
the  widows,  the  fatherless,  and  the  families  of  those  who 
have  gone  into  the  army,  that  the  cries  of  the  widow  and 
the  fatherless  come  not  up  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord 
against  this  people. 

Let  each  company  prepare  houses,  and  fields  for 
raising  grain,  for  those  who  are  to  remain  behind  this 
season,  and  this  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  his 
people. 

•Let  every  man  use  all  his  influence  and  property  to 
remove  this  people  to  the  place  where  the  Lord  shall 
locate  a  Stake  of  Zion; 

And  if  ye  do  this  with  a  pure  heart,  in  all  faithful- 
ness, ye  shall  be  blessed;  you  shall  be  blessed  in  your 
flocks,  and  in  your  herds,  and  in  your  fields,  and  in  your 
houses,  and  in  your  families. 

Let  my  servants  Ezra  T.  Benson  and  Erastus  Snow 
organize  a  company; 

And  let  my  servants  Orson  Pratt  and  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff organize  a  company. 

Also,  let  my  servants  Amasa  Lyman  and  George  A. 
Smith  organize  a  company; 

And  appoint  presidents  and  captains  of  hundreds, 
and  of  fifties,  and  of  tens, 

And  let  my  servants  that  have  been  appointed  go  and 


THE 


5RIGHAM 


teach  this  my    will  to  the  Saints,  that  they  may  be  ready 
to  go  to  a  land  of  peace. 

Go  thy  way  and  do  as  I  have  told  you,  and  fear  not 
thine  enemies;  for  they  shall  not  have  power  to  stop  my 
work. 

Zion  shall  be  redeemed  in  mine  own  due  time, 

And  if  any  man  shall  seek  to  build  up  himself,  and 
seeketh  not  my  counsel  he  shall  have  no  power,  and  his 
folly  shall  be  made  manifest. 

Seek  ye  and  keep  all  your  pledges  one  with  another, 
and  covet  not  that  which  is  thy  brother's. 

Keep  yourselves  from  evil  to  take  the  name  of  the 
Lord  in  vain,  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  even  the  God 
of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  of  Isaac,  and 
of  Jacob. 

I  am  he  who  led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the  land 
o-f  Egypt,  and  my  arm  is  stretched  out  in  the  last  days  to 
save  my  people  Israel. 

Cease  t«  contend  one  with  another,  cease  to  speak 
evil  one  of  another. 

Cease  drunkenness,  and  let  your  words  tend  to  edify- 
ing one  another. 

If  thou  borrowest  of  thy  neighbor,  thou  shalt  return 
that  which  thou  hast  borrowed;  and  if  thou  canst  not 
repay,  then  go  straightway  and  tell  thy  neighbor,  lest  he 
condemn  thee. 

If  thou  shalt  find  that  which  thy  neighbor  hast  lost, 
thou  shalt  make  diligent  search  till  thou  shalt  deliver  it 
to  him  again. 

Thou  shalt  be  diligent  in  preserving  what  thou  hast, 
that  thou  mayest  be  a  wise  steward;  for  it  is  the  free  gift 
of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  thou  art  his  steward. 

If  thou  art  merry,  praise  the  Lord  with  singing,  with 
music,  with  dancing,  and  with  a  prayer  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving. 

If  thou  art  sorrowful,  call  on  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
supplication,  that  your  souls  may  be  joyful. 

Fear  not  thine  enemies,  for  they  are  in  mine  hands, 
and  I  will  do  my  pleasure  with  them. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  73 

My  people  must  be  tried  in  all  things,  that  they  may 
be  prepared    to  receive    the    glory  that    I  have    for  them, . 
even    the    glory    of    Zion,.   and    he    that    will     not*    bear 
chastisement,  is  not  worthy  of  my  kingdom. 

Let  him  that  is  ignorant  learn  wisdom  by  humbling 
himself  and  calling  upon  the  Lord  his  God,  that  his 
eyes  may  be  opened  that  he  may  see,  and  his  ears  opened 
that  he  may  hear, 

For  my  Spirit  is  sent  forth  into  the  world  to  enlighten 
the  humble  and  contrite,  and  to  the  condemnation  of  the 
ungodly. 

In  this  we  have  at  once  an  outline  of  proceedings 
for  the  journey,  as  well  as  a  moral  code,  and  a  guide  to 
proper  conduct,  indicating  its  author  to  be  a  great 
planner,  a  wise  law-giver,  and  a  faithful  religious  direc- 
tor. But,  says  one,  these  were  not  President  Young's 
instructions;  they  came  to  him  by  revelation.  This  is 
exactly  the  view  he  took.  He  gave  to  God  all  the  glory, 
which  made  himself  none  the  less  great.  His  rule  of 
action  was  to  learn  the  will  of  God  and  do  it.  While  he, 
himself,  possessed  wonderful  powers  of  organization, 
government,  execution,  was  a  statesmen  in  the  highest 
sense  of  the  word,  displaying,  besides,  superior,  common- 
sense  ability  in  religious  affairs — he  always  maintained 
that  what  he  was,  and  whatever  greatness  he  possessed, 
was  due  to  the  revelations  of  God — to  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  said  many  times  that  Mormonism,  which  is 
the  true  gospel,  founded  upon  revelation,  made  him. 

In  conformity  with  the  instructions  given,  the 
Saints  began  to  comply  with  the  requirements.  Every 
preparation  was  made  for  an  early  departure  from  Winter 
Quarters,  which,  at  this  time,  had  grown  into  a  flourish- 
ing city  of  twenty-two  wards,  with  a  bishop  presiding 
over  each.  Again  the  Mormons  were  to  leave  their 


74  THE   LIFE    OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG. 

homes,  to  seek  others  in  the  wilderness,  a  thousand 
.miles  away,  somewhere  in  the  mountains. 

On  the  7th  day  'of  April,  immediately  after  confer- 
ence, the  pioneers  started  from  Winter  Quarters.  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  having  preceded  them  on  the  5th,  was  now 
camped  at  Cutler's  Park,  a  distance  of  four  miles  west. 
This  became  the  nucleus  camp  of  the  pioneer  company. 
On  the  8th  another  movement  brought  the  company 
beyond  the  Elk  Horn. 

On  two  occasions  after  starting,  President  Young 
returned  to  Winter  Quarters  to  greet  Parley  P.  Pratt 
and  John  Taylor,  who  returned  on  different  days  from 
their  English  missions.  He  left  the  affairs  on  the 
Missouri  in  charge  of  these  Apostles,  appointed  a  special 
committee  to  superintend  the  emigrations,  and  then 
joined  the  camp.  During  the  next  few  days  following 
the  17th  of  April,  when  the  Camp  was  about  sixty  miles 
west  of  the  starting  point,  President  Young  thoroughly 
organized  the  pioneers  into  a  military  company,  with 
captains  of  divisions  and  officers,  himself  being  Lieu- 
tenant-General. 

The  whole  company  consisted  of  143  men,  3  women, 
and  2  children — 148  souls.  They  had  seventy-two  wagons, 
ninety-three  horses,  fifty-two  mules,  sixty-six  oxen  and 
nineteen  cows,  besides  seventeen  dogs  and  some  chickens. 
They  carried  a  cannon  to  over-awe  the  Indians.  There 
were  blacksmiths,  mechanics,  farmers  and  builders,  so 
that  the  band  was  ready  not  only  to  fight  its  way 
through,  but  also  to  construct  it;  and  when  they  should 
reach  a  place  which  God  should  designate  as  their 
journey's  end,  they  were  prepared  to  colonize,  settle  and 
build  up  the  county,  and  till  the  earth.  A  clerk,  and 
historians  were  chosen — Thomas  Bullock,  Willard  Rich- 
ards and  William  Clayton,  filling  these  positions. 


THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  75 

Some  of  President  Young's  instructions  to  the 
camp  indicate  his  master  ability  in  organization  and 
discipline.  He  arranged  for  the  men  to  travel  in  a 
compact  body,  each  with  his  loaded  gun  in  hand,  or,  if 
a  teamster,  in  his  wagon,  ready  for  instant  use.  Each 
man  was  to  walk  beside  his  wagon  under  orders  not  to 
leave  it  without  permission.  Wherever  practicable,  two 
wagons  were  to  travel  abreast.  At  the  call  of  the  bugle 
at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning,  all  were  to  arise,  assemble 
for  prayers,  feed  teams,  get  breakfast,  and  be  ready  to 
start  at  the  second  call  of  the  bugle,  at  7  o'clock.  At 
8:30  in  the  evening  the  bugle  sounded,  and  each  was  to 
retire  for  prayers  in  his  own  wagon,  and  was  expected 
to  be  in  bed  by  9  o'clock.  The  Sabbath  was  to  be 
observed.  The  night  was  divided  into  two  watches, 
•  and  twelve  men  were  to  stand  guard  at  a  time.  The 
usual  method  of  forming  corrals,  by  locking  the  fore-wheel 
of  each  wagon  in  the  hind  wheel  of  the  one  ahead,  with 
the  tongues  out,  was  adopted.  The  animals  grazed  at 
times  some  distance  away,  but  were  generally  kept  in  the 
circular  or  oblong  enclosure  of  the  wagons. 

With  this  organization  and  equipment,  and  with 
these  and  other  instructions,  the  Pioneers  wended  their 
way  west,  the  journey  of  a  thousand  miles  or  more  being 
made  mostly  on  foot. 

Interspersed  with  many  a  thrilling  incident  and  many 
a  manifestation  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God,  their 
dfeary  march  was  continued,  until  that  memorable  24th 
of  July,  when,  from  an  elevation  of  the  Wasatch,  the 
founder  of  Utah,  sick  with  fever,  gazed  with  wonder  and 
admiration  upon  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley — upon  the 
panorama  of  sage  brush,  mountains,  valley,  lake  and  hills, 
spread  out  before  him — the  future  home  of  the  Mormons. 


76  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

9.        INCIDENTS    OF    THE    PIONEER    JOURNEY. 

For  three  months  and  seventeen  days,  this  company 
of  sturdy  pioneers  kept  on  their  westward  course.  They 
followed  the  Platte  River  for  hundreds  of  miles,  passing 
along  its  north  bank.  President  Young  and  his  band 
preferred  the  north  side  of  the  river,  notwithstanding  they 
were  compelled  to  break  a  new  road,  because  they  and 
the  Saints  who  should  follow  them  would  thus  escape 
coming  in  contact  with  the  quarrelsome  Missourians, 
their  old  time  enemies,  many  companies  of  whom,  on 
their  way  west,  were  passing  on  the  south  side,  which  was 
the  regular  route,  and  upon  which  grass  was  more  plenti- 
ful and  the  Indians  less  troublesome.  The  way  thus 
pioneered  was  traversed  by  thousands  who  followed  them 
to  the  valleys  of  the  mountains,  and  for  years  was  known 
as  the  "Old  Mormon  Road."  The  engines  of  the  Union 
Pacific  now  thunder  along  the  course  of  the  river,  through 
the  fruitful  fields  of  Nebraska,  on  a  grade  which  covers 
this  old  "trail"  for  several  hundred  miles. 

On  April  21st,  the  pioneers  were  visited  by  a  band 
of  Pawnee  Indians,  who  were  very  pressing  in  their  de- 
mands for  presents.  The  camp  doled  out  to  them  of  its 
scanty  store,  but  could  not  satiate  their  desire  for  more. 
The  Indians  rode  away  unsatisfied,  and  the  pioneers 
passed  the  cold  and  stormy  night  with  some  apprehen- 
sions of  an  attack.  The  old  cannon  was  made  ready  for 
use  and  placed  in  position  on  the  outside  of  the  camp,  in 
case  of  assault,  but  the  morning  found  the  camp  in  the 
enjoyment  of  peace.  It  was  during  this  night  that  some 
of  the  guards,  weary  with  the  previous  day's  march,  fell 
asleep  at  their  posts,  awakening  to  find  their  guns  and 
head-coverings  taken  away  by  their  sportive  companions. 
Their  chagrin  was  their  only  reproof. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BBIGHAM   YOUNG.  77 

Loup  Fork,  a  treacherous  tributary  of  the  Platte, 
was  crossed  with  much  difficulty.  A  leather  boat,  the 
"Revenue  Cutter,"  brought  as  a  wagon  box  from  Winter 
Quarters,  was  used  at  this  crossing.  Rafts,  also,  were 
constructed  to  carry  the  loaded  wagons  over  the  treacher- 
ous beds  of  quicksand.  Whitney  relates  an  incident 
occurring  just  prior  to  their  crossing  this  river,  which 
illustrates  the  fair  and  honest  nature  of  President  Young, 
as  well  as  his  eager  desire  to  have  no  act  committed  that 
would  in  any  way  expose  the  pioneers  to  the  suspicion 
of  the  government: — "Some  of  the  pioneers  had  picked 
up  a  few  plowshares  and  other  pieces  of  iron  lying 
around  the  site  of  a  government  station  which  had 
recently  been  burned  to  the  ground  during  an  incursion 
of  the  hostile  Sioux.  President  Young  would  not  per- 
mit this  appropriation  of  property  except  upon  the 
score  of  the  government's  indebtedness  to  James  Case, 
one  of  the  company,  who  had  been  employed  as  an  Indian 
farmer.  Those  who  took  the  iron  were  required  to 
settle  for  it  with  Father  Case,  who  was  in  turn  directed 
to  report  to  the  proper  authorities  the  amount  he  had 
thus  collected  on  account. " 

Reaching  Grand  Island  about  the  first  of  May,  the 
pioneers  engaged  in  a  buffalo  hunt.  In  those  days  the 
prairies  swarmed  with  these  now  almost  extinct  animals, 
and  as  many  as  fifty  thousand  had  been  seen  in  a  day. 
The  chase  resulted  in  the  killing  of  one  bull,  three  cows 
and  six  calves,  which  were  brought  in  wagons  into 
camp,  and  the  meat  was  distributed  equally  among  the 
companies.  At  that  time  it  was  customary  for  travelers 
to  kill  game  without  restraint.  It  was  not  unusual  to 
see  acres  of  ground  covered  with  carcasses,  wool  and 
other  remains  of  the  slaughter.  After  the  chase,  Presi- 


78  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

dent  Young  took  occasion  to  instruct  his  men  not  to  kill 
uselessly.  Said  he:  "If  we  slay  when  we  have  no  need, 
we  will  need  when  we  cannot  slay."  This  was  in  keep- 
ing with  his  views  on  economy,  and  his  ideas  of  utility. 
Every  created  thing, in  his  eyes,  had  a  mission  to  perform. 
It  was  a  sin  to  divert  anything  from  its  termination  of 
usefulness,  from  its  profitableness  to  some  valuable  end. 
In  a  sermon,  he  said  on  one  occasion:  "If  a  man  is 
worth  millions  ci  bushels  of  wheat  and  corn,  he  is  not 
wealthy  enough  to  suffer  his  servant  girl  to  sweep  a 
single  kernel  of  it  into  the  tire;  let  it  be  eaten  by  some- 
thing, and  pass  again  into  the  earth,  and  thus  fulfill  the 
purpose  for  which  it  grew." 

Continuing,  the  pioneers  reached  a  place  on  the 
21st  of  May,  where  they  erected  a  guide-board,  409  miles 
from  Winter  Quarters,  and  according  to  Fremont  132 
miles  from  Laramie.  Such  marks  were  frequently 
erected  to  guide  future  emigrations.  General  Young 
went  daily  with  his  staff  of  men  marking  out  the  route. 
The  distance  was  measured  with  an  original  road  meter, 
invented  by  Wm.  Clayton.  The  first  half  of  the  great 
journey  was  completed  about  June  1st,  when  they 
arrived  opposite  Fort  Laramie,  the  chief  trading  post  on 
the  overland  route — 543  miles  from  Winter  Quarters. 
Here  they  were  reinforced  by  a  company  of  the  invalid 
detachments  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  and  by  some 
Saints  from  Mississippi,  which  increased  their  numbers 
to  two-hundred  and  sixty-five.  Four  men,  with  Apostle 
Amasa  M.  Lyman  as  leader,  were  selected  to  go  to 
Pueblo,  to  bring  the  main  body  of  the  Mississippi  Saints 
to  Laramie,  then  over  the  mountains  in  the  pioneer  trail. 
President  Young  and  several  of  the  Apostles  crossed 
over  the  river  to  the  Fort  to  confer  with  the  authorities. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.  79 

They  were  kindly  received,  hired  a  boat  for  $15  to  help 
them  in  crossing  the  river,  and  learned  from  the  princi- 
pal man  of  the  place — James  Bordeaux — that  the  old  Mor- 
mon enemy,  ex-Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  had  passed 
that  way  some  days  before.  He  had  warned  Bordeaux 
to  look  well  after  his  animals  when  the  Mormons  came 
along.  The  gentleman  was  not  greatly  prejudiced,  how- 
ever, for  he  said  that  no  company  could  be  worse  than 
Boggs'.  He  afterward  remarked  that  the  Mormons  were 
the  best  behaved  company  that  had  come  that  way. 

After  crossing  the  river,  a  few  days  were  consumed 
in  repairing  wagons,  etc.,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  June 
the  journey  was  resumed.  Two  companies  of  Mis- 
sourians,  continually  quarrelling,  overtook  and  passed 
the  pioneers.  Speaking  about  their  contentions,  Presi- 
dent Young  uttered  a  prophecy  when  he  said:  "They 
curse,  swear  rip  and  tear,  and  are  trying  to  swallow  up 
the  earth;  but  though  they  do  not  wish  us  to  have  a 
place  on  it  the  earth  might  as  well  open  and  swallow 
them  up;  for  they  will  go  to  the  land  of  forgetfulness, 
while  the  Saints  though  they  surfer  some  privations  here,  if 
faithful  will  ultimately  inherit  the  earth,  and  increase  in 
power,  dominion  and  glory."  Today  it  would  not  be 
known  that  they  ever  crossed  the  plains,  only  for  the 
records  of  the  Mormons;  and  but  for  the  mention  of  his 
name  in  the  annals  of  the  Saints  Governor  Boggs  would 
be  fprgotten. 

Beyond  the  Black  Hills  the  pioneers  again  crossed 
to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  consuming  a  week  in  so 
doing.  President  Young  had  sent  previously  a  detach- 
ment of 'men  ahead  with  the  Revenue  Cutter  to  help  other 
companies  over,  and  this  work  was  progressing  when  the 
main  body  reached  the  ferry.  For  their  services,  the 


80  THE   LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

ferrymen  received  from  the  Missourians  $1.50  for  each 
wagon  and  load,  taking  flour  in  pay  at  Missouri  prices. 
Thus  were  the  Mormon  pioneers  in  an  unexpected  man- 
ner and  at  a  time  when  they  were  most  in  need,  given 
bread  by  their  old  enemies.  "It  looked,"  says  President 
Wilford  Woodruff,  "as  much  of  a  miracle  to  me  to  see 
our  flour  and  meal  bags  replenished  in  the  Black  Hills 
as  it  did  to  have  the  children  of  Israel  fed  with  manna 
in  the  wilderness."  President  Young  considered  this  a 
fit  place  to  establish  a  permanent  ferry  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  should  come  after,  and  so  he  detailed  nine 
men  to  stay  for  this  purpose,  instructing  them  to  divide 
their  earnings  among  the  needy  in  the  next  company,  to 
be  careful  of  the  lives  of  those  who  were  to  be  ferried 
over,  to  attend  to  their  prayers,  and  to  come  with  the 
next  company  of  Saints  from  Winter  Quarters. 

On  the  19th  of  June  the  journey  was  continued,  and 
on  the  26th  South  Pass  was  reached,  where  began  the 
western  descent  of  the  Rockies.  A  short  distance  west  from 
this  place  they  met  the  scout  and  trapper,  Major  Moses 
Harris,  from  whom  they  gained  some  information,  not  at 
all  encouraging,  of  the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  As 
a  place  of  settlement,  he  rather  favored  Cache  Valley, 
(so  called  by  trappers  who  cached  their  furs  from  the 
Indians  in  this  region,)  as  it  was  a  "fine  place  for  win- 
tering cattle."  On  the  28th  they  arrived  at  Little 
Sandy,  where  they  met  Colonel  James  Bridger,  who 
furnished  additional  information  concerning  the  valley  of 
the  Great  Salt  Lake.  His  account  was  even  less  en- 
couraging than  the  accounts  already  received.  He  thought 
it  unwise  to  bring  a  large  colony  into  the  Great  Basin 
until  it  could  be  proven  whether  grain  would  grow  there 
or  not;  and  he  it  was  who  offered  to  give  a  thousand 


THE    LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM    YOUNG.  81 

dollars  for  the  first  ear  of  corn    ripened,    or   for   the   first 
bushel  of  wheat  produced  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley. 

Reaching  Green  River  on  the  30th  of  June,  the 
pioneers  were  met  by  Elder  Brannan,  who  had  crossed 
the  snow-covered  Sierras  from  his  colony  of  Saints  in 
California.  He  informed  President  \oung  that  they  had 
reached  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  July  31st,  the  year 
previous,  and  were  now  settled  on  the  San  Joaquin  River. 
He  tried  to  induce  the  President  to  join  his  company, 
but  neither  the  adverse  reports  of  the  mountaineers,  nor 
Brannan's  flattering  description  of  the  riches  of  the 
California  coast,  could  change  the  determination'  of  Presi- 
dent Young  to  settle  in  the  divinely  appointed  resting 
place  of  the  Saints,  in  the  midst  of  the  mountains,  on 
the  shores  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  To  the  natural  man 
this  did  not  appear  to  be  the  wisest  course,  but  Brigham 
Young  saw  with  the  eyes  of  inspiration,  and  the  wisdom 
of  his  decision  was  revealed  in  after  years. 

After  crossing  Green  River  the  pioneers  sacredly 
observed  the  "Glorious  Fourth,"  it  being  Sunday,  and 
continuing  reached  Fort  Bridger  on  the  7th  of  July, 
where  preparations  were  made  for  the  rough  mountain 
journey  before  them.  Leaving  Fort  Bridger  on  the  9th, 
they  met  Miles  Goodyear,  another  mountaineer,  near 
Bear  River.  His  report  of  the  valley  was  no  more 
favorable  than  the  others  peviously  received. 

On  the  13th  President  Young  was  stricken  with 
mountain  fever,  and  fell  behind  the  company.  The  next 
day  Orson  Pratt  was  instructed  to  organize  a  picked 
company  to  precede  the  pioneers.  They  were  to  select 
a  trail  over  the  mountains  to  Great  Salt  Lake,  since  it 
had  been  learned  that  the  route  through  Weber  Canyon 
was  impassable  owing  to  high  waters.  They  proceeded 


82  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

down  the  Weber,  and  turning  followed  an  old  almost  imper- 
ceptible trail  toward  East  Canyon.  With  much  labor 
they  passed  up  that  gorge  for  several  miles,  then  turned 
west  up  a  ravine  until  they  reached  Big  Mountain,  from 
the  summit  of  which,  on  the  19th  of  July,  Orson  Pratt 
and  John  Brown,  first  of  all  the  pioneers,  saw  a  glimpse 
of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley.  Messengers  kept  the 
rear  companies  informed  of  the  movements  of  the  van- 
guard, and  the  latter  were  notified  that  it  was  the  impres- 
sion of  President  Young  to  have  Pratt's  company  bear 
to  the  north,  upon  emerging  from  the  mountains,  and 
stop  at  the  first  place  suitable  for  putting  in  crops. 
These  instructions  were  followed,  and  resulted  in  the 
selection  of  the  site  of  the  present  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  pioneers  now  traveled  in  three  detachments. 
On  the  23rd  President  Young  reached  the  Big  Mountain 
summit,  from  which,  reclining  in  Apostle  Woodruff's 
carriage,  he  caught  a  first  glimpse  of  the  visible  portions 
of  the  valley.  What  a  picture!  What  sentiments 
filled  the  heart  of  the  Founder  of  Utah,  as  he  gazed,  full 
of  earnest  thoughts,  on  the  scene  before  him.  A  resting 
place  at  last.  Awakening  from  his  reverie,  he  burst 
forth:  "Enough.  This  is  the  right  place.  Drive  on." 

That  day  a  messenger  from  the  advance  camps 
brought  the  news  that  the  valley  had  been  explored  as 
far  as  possible,  and  that  the  choice  of  a  spot  for  putting 
in  crops  had  been  made. 

The  next  day — Pioneer  Day,  July  24th — President 
Young  entered  into  the  valley.  Apostle  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff gives  the  following  account  of  the  entrance,  and  of 
the  prophetic  visions  of  their  minds  which  he — among 
the  last  on  earth  of  all  that  noble  train — has  lived  to  see 
fulfilled: 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  83 

"July  24th. — This  is  one  of  the  most  important  days 
of  my  life  and  in  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  After  traveling  six  miles 
through  a  deep  ravine  ending  with  the  canyon  we  came 
in  full  view  of  the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  the 
land  of  promise  held  in  reserve  by  God  as  a  resting 
place  for  his  Saints.  We  gazed  in  wonder  and  admira- 
tion upon  the  vast  valley  before  us,  with  the  waters 
of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  glistening  in  the  sun,  mountains 
towering  to  the  skies,  and  streams  of  pure  water  run- 
ning through  the  beautiful  valley.  It  was  the  grandest 
view  that  we  had  ever  seen  till  this  moment.  Pleasant 
thoughts  ran  through  our  minds  at  the  prospect  that,  not 
many  years  hence,  the  house  of  God  would  be  estab- 
lished in  the  mountains  and  exalted  above  the  hills, 
while  the  valleys  would  be  converted  into  orchards,  vine- 
yards, and  fruitful  fields,  cities  erected  to  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  standard  of  Zion  unfurled  for  the 
gathering  of  the  nations.  President  Young  expressed 
his  entire  satisfaction  at  the  appearance  of  the  valley  as 
a  resting  place  for  the  Saints  and  felt  amply  repaid  for 
his  journey.  While  lying  upon  his  bed,  in  my  carriage, 
gazing  upon  the  scene  before  us,  many  things  of  the  fu- 
ture, concerning  the  valley,  were  shown  to  him  in  vision. " 


10.        EXPLORATION     AND     RETURN    TO    THE    MISSOURI. 

Brigham  Young  arrived  at  the  camp  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley  about  noon,  July  24th,  1847. 

The  valley  was  not  the  most  attractive  spot  that  one 
could  gaze  upon,  when  the  Mormons  first  entered  it;  and 
there  was  some  disappointment  among  the  pioneers  when 
the  President  announced  that  it  was  the  place  which  he 
had  previously  beheld  in  vision,  the  place  where  "he 


84  THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG. 

had  seen  the  tent  settling  down  from  heaven  and  rest- 
ing, and  a  voice  said  unto  him,  'here  is  the  place  where 
my  people  Israel  shall  pitch  their  tents.'"  But  the  con- 
fidence of  the  pioneers  in  their  leader  soon  dispelled  their 
disheartening  doubts  and  impressions,  and  in  time  their 
thrift  and  the  blessings  of  the  God  of  Israel,  converted 
the  treeless  waste  into  a  fruitful  garden. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  year,  hence,  all  haste  was 
made  to  till  the  earth.  No  time  must  be  lost,  if  a  harvest 
were  to  be  realized  that  season.  Apostle  Woodruff 
neither  ate  nor  drank  until  he  had  planted  the  half 
bushel  of  potatoes  which  he  had  brought  with  him. 
After  the  ground  had  been  planted,  the  little  stream  was 
diverted  from  its  course,  and  its  waters  were  spread  over 
the  planted  ground  to  give  it  "a  good  soaking." — the 
first  lesson  in  irrigation,  an  art  since  so  famous  among 
the  settlers  of  the  West.  Thus  ended  the  first  24th  of 
July. 

The  following  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  the 
pioneers,  under  the  broad  canopy  of  heaven,  gathered  in 
the  circle  of  their  encampment  to  praise  God  for  their 
deliverance.  Not  a  soul  had  died  on  the  journey.  Those 
who  spoke  were  satisfied  with  their  situation  and  with 
the  future  prospects.  The  sacrament  was  partaken  of. 
Apostle  Orson  Pratt  called  attention  to  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah  concerning  modern  Israel.  He  declared  the  Mor- 
mons were  fulfilling  the  predictions  of  the  ancient  seers. 
God  was  to  "hide  his  people  in  the  chambers  of  the 
mountains"  and  in  the  last  days  was  to  "establish  his 
house  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  and  exalt  it  above 
the  hills." 

But  President  Young,  always  practical,  dwelt  upon 
themes,  though  possibly  less  poetic,  just  as  true,  useful, 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.    '  85 

and  religious.  Too  feeble  to  stand,  he  sat  in  his  arm 
chair,  and  laid  down  the  law.  "He  told  the  brethren," 
says  Apostle  Woodruff,  "that  they  must  not  work  on 
Sunday;  that  they  would  lose  five  times  as  much  as  they 
would  gain  by  it.  None  were  to  hunt  or  fish  on  that 
day;  and  there  should  not  any  man  dwell  among  us  who 
would  not  observe  these  rules.  They  might  go  and 
dwell  where  they  pleased  but  should  not  dwell  with  us. 
He  also  said,  no  man  should  buy  any  land  who  came 
here;  that  he  had  none  to  sell,  but  every  man  should 
have  his  land  measured  out  to  him  for  city  and  farming 
purposes.  He  might  till  it  as  he  pleased,  but  he  must 
be  industrious,  and  take  care  of  it. "  He  then  directed 
the  organization  of  three  exploring  parties,  to  explore 
the  country  north,  west  and  south,  for  he  wished  every 
nook  and  corner  known  to  the  settlers.  Said  he:  "It  is 
necessary  that  we  should  learn  the  facilities  of  the 
country  and  be  able  to  report  to  our  brethren  whose 
eyes  are  turned  towards  us.  But  I  can  tell  you  before 
you  start  that  you  will  find  many  facilities  for  settlements 
all  around  us,  and  you  will  all  return  feeling  satisfied 
that  this  is  the  most  suitable  place,  and  the  place  for  us 
to  make  our  commencement.  Here  is  the  place  to  build 
our  city. " 

On  the  morrow,  the  farmers  began  their  planting, 
and  the  exploring  parties  early  set  about  their  labors. 
The  President  headed  one  party  which  went  north. 
They  ascended  the  peak  north  of  Salt  Lake  City,  climbing 
the  hills  west  of  City  Creek  canyon.  "A  good  place  to 
raise  an  ensign  to  the  nations,"  said  President  Young, 
.and  the  peak  to  this  day  is  called  Ensign  Peak.  From 
day  to  day  the  exploring  labors  went  on.  Black  Rock, 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  (which  Brigham  was  the  first  to 


86  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

bathe  in,)  the  Warm  Springs,  the  Jordan  and  surround- 
ing country,  were  visited,  but  all  were  satisfied  that  the 
location  on  the  banks  of  City  Creek  was  the  place  to 
found  their  city,  as  the  prophet  had  remarked. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  after  a  council  meeting, 
President  Young  and  the  Twelve  proceeded  to  a  spot 
midway  between  the  two  branches  of  City  Creek,  where 
he  struck  the  ground  with  his  cane,  exclaiming:  "Here 
will  be  the  temple  of  our  God  *  The  city 

can  be  laid  out  perfectly  square,  north  and  south,  east 
and  west."  The  great  temple  in  Salt  Lake  City,  the 
corner  stone  of  which  was  laid  April  6th,  1853,  and 
which  was  dedicated  April  6th,  1893,  covers  this  same 
spot  of  ground.  It  was  then  decided  that  the  building 
of  the  city  should  begin  at  that  point.  The  size  of  the 
blocks  (ten  acres),  the  width  of  the  streets  (eight  rods), 
and  their  intersection  at  right  angles,  were  also  decided 
upon,  and  the  plan  of  building  the  city  was  adopted. 
The  whole  proceeding  was  ratified  by  the  people,  at  a 
meeting  that  evening.  The  general  plan  adopted  here 
became  a  guide  for  the  founding  of  all  the  cities  of  the 
Saints  thereafter.  At  the  meeting,  the  President  took 
occasion  to  address  the  people  on  a  variety  of  subjects  of 
a  temporal  nature.  He  said  that  he  was  determined  to 
have  all  things  in  order,  and  that  "righteousness  should 
be  practiced  in  the  land."  Thus  was  Salt  Lake  City 
begun. 

The  next  day  President  Young  with  others  went  t> 
meet  140  men  of  the  Battalion  detachment,  and  about 
100  Mississippi  Saints  who  had  come  with  them  from 
Pueblo. 

Returning  with  this  needed  re-enforcement,  President 
Young  was  kept  busy  counseling  and  advising  the  people 


THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  87 

and  planning  for  their  welfare.  In  the  early  part  of 
August  the  Twelve  were  baptized,  followed  later  by  the 
people  generally,  all  of  whom  renewed  their  covenants  by 
baptism.  Boweries  for  public  meetings  were  erected,  the 
"Old  Fort"  was  projected  and  built,  eighty-three  acres  of 
ground  had  been  plowed  and  planted,  the  survey  of  the 
city  was  begun,  logs  were  hauled  from  the  canyon  and 
building  begun,  further  exploration  was  engaged  in,  salt 
-  was  discovered  by  the  lake,  the  land  of  the  city  was 
divided  among  the  Apostles  for  an  inheritance  for  them 
and  their  friends,  and  so  the  work  went  steadily  on. 
A  company  of  seventy-one  men  returned  to  Winter  Quar- 
ters, on  the  17th  of  August. 

On  the  22nd,  a  general,  special  conference  was  held, 
at  which  the  settlement,  on  motion  of  President  Young, 
was  christened  Great  Salt  Lake  City.  Other  important 
business  affairs  were  considered.  A  Stake  of  Zion  was 
organized,  and  the  western  Jordan  and  the  creeks  in  the 
neighborhood  were  named.  It  was  the  intention  that 
President  Young  and  the  pioneers  should  return  to 
Winter  Quarters  that  fall,  and  this  conference  was  neces- 
sary that  the  people  might  be  instructed  by  the  leaders, 
in  relation  to  themselves  as  well  as  to  those  who  were 
now  on  the  way,  and  who  would  soon  enter  the  valley. 
The  great  colonizer's  parting  injunction  shows  his  keen 
insight  into  the  future,  the  wisdom  of  his  plans,  and  reveals 
in  him  the  architect  of  the  new  Zion  and  its  institutions: 
"It  is  necessary  that  the  adobe  yard  (the  stockade) 
should  be  secured  so  that  Indians  cannot  get  in.  To 
accommodate  those  few  who  shall  remain  here  after  we 
return  it  would  only  be  necessary  to  build  one  side  of  the 
fort,  but  common  sense  teaches  us  to  build  it  all  round. 
By  and  by  men  of  means  will  be  coming  on,  and  they 


88  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

will  want  rooms,  and  the  men  who  build  them  will  then 
be  entitled  to  their  pay.  Make  your  walls  4^  feet  high, 
so  that  they  can  keep  the  cattle  out,  build  your  houses  so 
that  you  will  have  plenty  of  fresh  air  in  them  or  some  of 
you  will  get  sick  after  being  used  to  sleeping  in  your 
wagons  so  long.  We  propose  to  fence  in  a  tract  of  land 
thirty  rods  square,  so  that  in  case  of  necessity  the  cattle 
can  be  brought  inside  and  the  hay  also  be  stacked  there. 
In  the  spring  this  fence  can  be  removed  and  a  trench  be 
plowed  about  twenty  feet  from  the  houses  to  enable  the 
women  to  raise  garden  vegetables.  I  want  to  engage 
50,000  bushels  of  wheat  and  the  same  amount  of  corn  and 
other  grain  in  proportion.  I  will  pay  you  $1.25  per 
bushel  for  wheat  and  50  cents  for  corn.  Why  cannot 
I  bring  glass  for  you  and  you  raise  corn  for  me?  Raise 
all  the  grain  you,  and  with  this  you  can  purchase  sheep, 
cows,  teams,  etc.,  of  those  who  come  here  later  on.  We 
desire  you  to  live  in  that  stockade  until  we  come  back 
again,  and  raise  grain  next  year. 

Such  of  the  pioneers  and  Battalion  men  as  had  fami- 
lies on  the  Missouri  were  selected  to  go  with  President 
Young  on  his  return  to  Winter  Quarters.  On  the  26th 
of  August,  the  company  numbering  108  men,  thoroughly 
organized,  bade  "good-by  to  all  who  tarry,"  and  pro- 
ceeded east.  The  Saints,  numbering  over  1500  souls, 
with  over  600  wagons,  who  had  departed  from  Winter 
Quarters  according  to  the  instructions  received  through 
President  Young,  were  met  in  detachments  by  the  pion- 
eers on  their  eastward  journey.  From  him  they  learned 
for  the  first  time  where  they  were  going.  This  gave  them 
new  courage,  and  they  set  their  faces  with  .  fresh  deter- 
mination to  gain  the  new  Zion  in  the  mountains.  They 
were  organized  as  directed,  and  the  emigration  committee 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  89 

had  them  in  charge,  Apostles  P.  P.  Pratt  and  John 
Taylor  haivng  general  supervision.  Their  companies 
began  arriving  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  in  the  latter  part  of 
September,  and  in  the  early  part  of  October,  all  the 
trains  had  reached  the  city  in  safety. 

The  return  trip  of  the  pioneers,  though  full  of  hard- 
ships, was  gladdened  by  many  happy  meetings  with  their 
friends.  On  the  Platte,  the  party  had  a  great  many  of  their 
animals  stolen,  and  would  have  lost  all  had  it  not  been  for 
the  cunning  of  a  very  intelligent  horse,  owned  by  the 
President.  This  animal  would  not  be  driven  away,  but 
circled  out  far  beyond  the  thieving  Indains,  followed  by 
many  of  the  other  horses,  returning  to  camp  with  its 
companions,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  savages  to  drive 
them  away. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  they  marched  in  order  into 
Winter  Quarters,  the  streets  being  crowded  with  loving 
friends  to  greet  them.  Well  might  President  Young 
say:  "We  were  truly  rejoiced  once  more  to  behold  our 
wives,  children,  and  old  friends,  after  an  absence  of  six 
months,  having  traveled  over  2,000  miles 
and  accomplished  the  most  important  mission  in  this 
last  dispensation." 

Prosperity  had  attended  the  people  on  the  Missouri. 


11.        CHOSEN    PRESIDENT    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

Up  to  this  time  Brigham  Young  had  led  the  people 
as  President  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  there  had  been 
no  First  Presidency  since  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith.  A  general  organization  now  took  place  prepara- 

7 


90  THE   LIFE    OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

tory  to  the  migration  contemplated  in  the  spring.  On 
the  5th  of  December,  1847,  a  council  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  decided  to  fill  the  vacant  quorum;  accord- 
ingly, at  a  general  conference  held  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Missouri — the  headquarters  of  the  Church  being  still 
on  the  frontiers — the  First  Presidency  was  re-organized. 
Brigham  Young*  was  sustained  as  the  President  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  all  the 
world,  with  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Willard  Richards  his 
counselors.  This  was  done  on  the  27th  day  of  December. 
This  action  of  the  Apostles  and  Saints  on  the  Missouri 
was  ratified  at  a  conference,  held  in  the  Fort  Bowery  in 
Great  Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  8th  of  October  the  year 
following,  just  after  President  Young's  second  arrival  in 
the  valley. 

'Lively  preparations  were  made,  early  in  1848,  for 
the  departure  of  the  main  body  of  the  Saints  from  Winter 
Quarters.  In  the  latter  part  of  May  the  organization  was 
completed,  on  the  Elk  Horn  which  became  the  rendez- 
vous for  the  west-bound  pilgrims;  and  in  the  early  part 
of  June  President  Young,  having  first  given  the  people 
instructions  to  be  observed  on  the  way,  broke  camp  and 
set  out  on  his  second  journey  to  the  mountains.  The 
emigration  consisted  of  three  divisions,  numbering  2,417 
souls,  with  822  wagons.  He  had  general  charge  of  all 


*  "While  in  adversity  there  were  none  more  steadfast,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  there  were  few  in  whom  success  developed  so  little  of-pride  and  \  ain glory. 
From  this  time  forth  Brigham  Young  was  to  the  Saints  as  a  Prophet — yea,  and 
more  than  a  Prophet ;  one  on  whom  the  mantle  had  fallen  not  unworthily. 
By  his  foresight  he  had  saved  his  people  from  dispersion,  and  perchance  his 
faith  from  annihilation.  Hounded  by  a  mob,  he  had  led  his  followers  with 
consummate  tact  throughout  their  pilgrimage,  and  in  the  wilderness  as  yet 
almost  untrodden  by  man  had  at  length  established  for  them  an  abiding 
place  "—Bancroft's  Utah,  p.  271. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.  91 

the  companies,  and  special  charge  of  the  first  and  largest 
company  which  numbered  1,229  souls,  with  397  wagons. 

The  chief  body  of  the  Mormons  was  thus  moving  to 
their  new  home,  after  having  enjoyed,  or  rather  endured, 
a  temporary  rest  in  the  wilderness  of  something  over  two 
years.  Winter  Quarters  was  now  almost  deserted. 
Kanesville,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  became  a  point  of 
outfit  and  departure  for  Mormon  emigrations,  which  now 
began  from  the  old  world,  and  continued  for  several  years 
thereafter.  Some  of  the  leaders  remained  there  to  look 
after  important  Church  business,  while  others  were  called 
on  foreign  missions.  Before  parting  from  them,  President 
Young  blessed  them  all,  as  well  as  those  who  were  to  ac- 
company him  to  the  valley;  and  among  the  consoling  re- 
marks which  he  uttered  was  this,  that  the  Saints  would 
never  be  driven  from  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  and  the 
Apostles  had  also  issued  an  epistle,  calling  upon  the 
Saints  to  gather  to  Zion,  and  upon  the  peoples  of  the 
nations  to  help  them  build  a  house  to  the  name  of  the 
God  of  Jacob,  a  city  of  rest  "a  habitation  for  the 
oppressed  of  every  clime."* 

The  first  company  of  Saints  under  President  Young 
arrived  in  Great  Salt  Lake  City  on  September  20th  1848, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  month  thereafter  all  the  trains  had 
arrived. 

During  the  absence  of  their  leader  the  pioneer 
Saints  had  undergone  many  vicissitudes.  The  winter  had 
been  mild  but  food  had  been  scarce.  Thistle  tops,  sego 
and  parsnip  roots,  constituted  the  vegetable  diet.  Skins 
in  some  instances  served  for  clothing.  The  wild  animals 
had  annoyed  them  some,  but  the  worst  plague  of  all 


*  Millennial  Star,  vol.  x,  p.  81. 


92  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

was  the  swarms  of  crickets  which,  in  the  latter  part  of 
May,  had  invaded  their  fields  and  gardens,  threatening 
a  famine.  The  gulls  came  and  thus  saved  the  crops  from 
total  destruction. 

The  new  companies  now  swelled  the  population  to 
about  five  thousand  people — about  one-fourth  of  the  exiles 
from  Nauvoo.  At  last  the  Saints  had  made  their  escape 
from  bondage  and  persecution  to  their  promised  land  of 
freedom.  Dreary  though  it  was,  in  it  they  loved  to  dwell. 
Now  a  barren  desert,  under  their  thrift,  it  was  soon  to 
"blossom  as  the  rose."  It  is  a  marvel  of  the  age  that  so 
many  people,  poor  and  defenseless,  in  the  wilderness, 
without  support,  should  have  accomplished  such  a 
journey,  over  wild  mountains,  exposed  to  roaming  bands 
of  savages,  almost  without  the  loss  of  life. 

To  Brigham  Young's  ability  as  organizer,  to  his  skill 
as  a  leader,  to  his  perfect  tact,  to  his  power  of  command- 
ing from  the  people  a  harmonious  concert  of  purpose  and 
action  this  miracle  is  due. 

Brigham  Young  said  that  this  capacity  and  potency 
were  special  gifts  from  God. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  93 


IV.     THE  FOUNDING  OF  UTAH. 


1.        IMPORTANT    CONSIDERATIONS. 

In  connection  with  the  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare 
of  the  people,  there  were  at  this  period  three  great 
problems  that  presented  themselves:  these  were  coloniza- 
tion, organization  and  government. 

The  great  founder's  first  thoughts  and  acts  were 
turned  to  the  task  of  providing  for  the  prosperity  and 
well-being  of  the  people  whom  he  had  led  through  the 
wilderness  into  the  mountains.  Their  temporal  necessities 
must  be  supplied,  and  with  these  the  proper  spiritual  food, 
must  be  administered;  for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
their  mission  and  main  aim  were  purely  religious.  It  is 
useless  to  teach  religious  sentiment  to  a  people  whose 
stomachs  are  empty;  no  man  ever  realized  this  more  than 
did  Brigham  Young.  He  took  a  common-sense  view  of 
religion — considered  it  a  guide  in  temporal  as  well  as 
spiritual  things.  Hence,  temporal  comforts,  or  at  least 
temporal  necessities,  were  first  to  be  provided.  They  were 
an  absolute  foundation  for  spiritual  welfare,  but  the  two 
went  hand  in  hand.  Neither  was  ever  neglected.  A 
change  indeed,  would  this  one  idea  alone  work  among 
the  masses  of  the  world,  if  the  well-fed  ministers  con- 
sidered this  question  in  the  same  light,  acted  upon  it,  and 
took  hold  of  it  with  their  coats  off,  as  did  the  founder  of 
Utah. 

Heretofore,  the  Saints    had    lived  almost    exclusively 


94  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

in  one  body,  in  one  city.  Now,  as  the  gathering  thou- 
sands, from  the  States  and  from  Europe,  came  to  the  new 
Zion,  to  build  and  to  scatter  about  in  the  chambers  of 
the  mountains,  there  arose  necessity  for  a  profitable  and 
uniform  scheme  of  colonization;  and  with  it  was  required 
a  system  of  church  government  to  be  evolved  from  the 
outlines  drawn  by  the  Prophet  Joseph,  and  which  should 
tend  to  unity  and  harmony  among  the  Saints. 

But  it  was  clear  from  the  first  that  an  ecclesiastical 
organization  alone,  would  not  long  sufficiently  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  community.  It  was,  therefore, 
Brigham  Young's  desire  to  have  a  separate  political 
organization,  so  that  the  new  commonwealth  might 
become  a  part  of  the  great  Union,  whose  citizens,  it  is 
true,  had  driven  the  Mormons  into  the  wilderness  of  a 
foreign  land,  but  whose  loyal  sons  and  daughters  the 
Latter-day  Saints  were  still,  as  they  have  continued  to 
remain.  In  addition,  people  of  other  faiths  began  to 
appear  among  them,  and  thus  arose  the  necessities  for 
political  organization  and  a  civil  government. 

Then  there  was  the  policy  to  be  pursued  towards  the 
Indians.  There  arose,  also,  a  score  of  detail  questions 
demanding  attention,  as  well  in  the  ecclesiastical  and 
social  and  religious,  as  in  the  political  and  financial 
government  of  a  whole  people;  a  people,  too,  many  of 
whom  had  been  educated  with  a  diversity  of  ideas  con- 
cerning the  aims  and  objects  of  life. 

When  we  remember  that  much  of  this  detail  labor 
actually  devolved  upon,  was  planned  and  superintended 
by  one  man,  we  may  form  an  idea  of  the  stupendous  work 
executed  by  Brigham  Young,  the  Founder  of  Utah. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  95 

2.        THE    GOLD    EXCITEMENT. 

The  first  consideration  attracting  President  Young's 
attention  after  his  arrival  in  the  valley,  in  the  fall  of 
1848,  was  the  small  supply  of  food.  The  people  were 
now  stirred  to  activity.  Over  five  thousand  acres  of  land 
were  plotted  for  fencing  and  cultivation.  Over  eight 
hundred  were  sowed  in  winter  wheat.  The  Council 
House  was  projected,  and  a  proposition  was  made  to 
bring  the  waters  of  the  Big  Ccttonwood  to  the  city.  And 
thus  were  the  Saints  kept  busy  until  the  approach  of 
winter. 

The  crop,  upon  which  the  new  arrivals  had  measur- 
ably depended,  was  a  partial  failure,  and  before  the 
unusually  severe  winter  of  1848-9  was  over  the  people 
suffered  greatly  for  food.  Extreme  hunger  was  prevented 
by  their  unity  and  brotherly  feeling.  They  assisted  each 
other,  and  divided  their  scanty  store  in  community 
fashion. 

In  those  early  days  money  was  not  to  be  obtained, 
hence  products  served  as  medium  of  trade  instead  of 
cash.  The  great  inconvenience  of  thus  bartering  is 
plainly  apparent.  The  Mormon  Battlion  men,  who  were 
among  the  first  to  discover  gold  in  California,  brought 
with  them,  on  returning  to  the  valley  in  1848,  bags  of 
gold  dust,  but  the  use  of  the  loose  metal  was  very  incon- 
venient, entailing  trouble  and  loss  in  weighing.  To' 
obviate  this  President  Young  issued  a  paper  curreny,  in 
January,  1849,  taking  the  loose  gold  as  security.  He  and 
Thomas  Bullock,  his  clerk,  did  the  first  type-setting  in  the 
valley,  for  this  primitive  currency.  Some  time  after,  dies 
were  made,  the  gold  dust  was  coined,  and  the  money 
locally  used  until  superseded  by  legal  tender,  when  the 
coins  were  disposed  of  as  bullion  to  the  federal  mints. 


96  THE   LIFE   OF   BBIGHAM   YOUNG. 

But  the  question  of  a  circulating  medium  was  not  as 
difficult  to  solve  as  the  problem  of  gold  digging  which 
now  confronted  the  Mormons.  Under  the  scarcity  and  the 
actual  want  existing  among  them,  it  was  little  wonder 
that  some  of  the  Saints  should  wish  to  better  their  con- 
dition by  going  to  the  gold  fields  of  California,  which 
had  set  aflame  the  civilized  world.  Several  families 
departed  for  the  mines  in  the  early  days  of  1849,  and 
others  had  caught  the  gold  fever.  In  an  epistle  to  the 
Saints,  President  Young  and  the  Apostles  sternly 
rebuked  this  outbreak.  "The  true  use  of  gold,"  said 
they,  "is  for  paving  streets,  covering  houses,  and  making 
culinary  dishes;  and  when  the  Saints  shall  have  preached 
the  gospel,  raised  grain  and  built  up  cities  enough  the 
Lord  will  open  up  a  way  for  a  supply  of  gold  to  the 
perfect  satisfaction  of  His  people.  Until  then,  let  them 
not  be  over-anxious,  for  the  treasures  of  the  earth  are  in 
the  Lord's  storehouse,  and  He  will  open  the  doors  there- 
of when  and  where  He  pleases. "  President  Young 
counselled  "all  the  Saints  to  remain  in  the  valleys  of 
the  mountains,  make  improvements,  build  comfortable 
houses,  and  raise  grain."  He  had  previously  said  to 
the  returned  Battalion  men:  "If  we  were  to  go  to  San 
Francisco  and  dig  up  chunks  of  gold,  or  find  it  in  the 
valley,  it  would  ruin  us."  In  a  Sabbath  address  he  told 
the  Saints:  "I  hope  the  gold  mines  will  be  no  nearer  than 
eight  hundred  miles.  *  Prosperity  and 

riches  blunt  the  feelings  of  man.  If  the  people  were 
united,  I  would  send  men  to  get  the  gold  who  would 
care  no  more  about  it  than  the  dust  under  their  feet,  and 
then  we  would  gather  millions  into  the  Church.  Some 
men  don't  want  to  go  after  gold,  but  they  are  the  very 
men  to  go." 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.  97 

It  required  the  judgment  of  such  a  man  as  Brigham 
Young  to  break  the  heated  fever.  A  general  migration 
from  Salt  Lake  City  to  the  gold  fields  at  that  time 
would  have  been  more  fatal  to  the  Church  than  the 
mobbings  of  Missouri  and  Illinois  repeated.  Well  was 
it  for  Mormonism  that  the  great  majority  of  its 
adherents  followed  the  wise  counsel  of  their  leader, 
remained  content  in  the  valley  to  build  up  their  cities 
and  towns,  to  plant  their  farms  and  tend  their  stock. 

Great  Salt  Lake  City  became  the  resting  place, 
the  "half-way  house"  for  the  thousands  of  adventurous 
spirits,  from  all  nations  of  the  earth,  who,  colony  after 
colony,  came  pouring  in  a  mad  rush  to  the  paradise  of 
gold  in  the  West.  Their  trains  of  merchandise,  provi- 
sions, implements,  and  the  blooded  but  jaded  and  worn 
out  stock,  were  "sold  for  a  song,"  or  exchanged  in  Utah 
for  fresh  animals  to  carry  them  more  hurriedly  to  their 
destination;  and  so  the  wagon  loads  of  goods  and  other 
wealth — so  greatly  needed  by  the  all  but  destitute  set- 
tlers— intended  for  California,  remained  in  Utah  to 
enrich  its  poor  poulation.  The  prophecy  of  President 
Young,  made  soon  after  the  exodus  from  Nauvoo,  that 
in  a  few  years  the  Saints  would  be  more  prosperous  than 
ever,  was  fulfilled;  likewise  was  the  prophetic  utterance 
of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  made  in  1848,  when  the  people 
scarcely  knew  where  to  get  the  next  scanty  meal,  or 
skins  for  their  nakedness,  that  within  three  years 
"States  goods"  would  be  sold  cheaper  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley  than  in  New  York.  These  prophecies  were  thus 
fulfilled  in  an  unexpected  way  to  the  very  letter. 

From  the  opposition  which  President  Young  mani- 
fested against  the  people's  going  to  the  California  mines, 
it  went  abroad  that  he  was  opposed  to  mining  for  its  own 


98  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

sake.  This  is  not  true.  He  was  averse  to  it  in  those 
early  days  because  he  saw  what  a  demoralizing  effect  the 
thirst  and  flight  for  gold  would  have  upon  the  Saints; 
this  same  reason  explains  his  attitude  on  mining  in 
Utah  in  later  years.  He  was  anxious  and  willing  that 
mines  should  be  opened,  but  desired  that  this  should  be 
postponed  until  the  people  should  have  grown  strong 
enough  to  withstand  successfully  its  allurements  and 
temptations,  as  well  as  its  evil  influences. 


3.        COLONIZATION. 

The  peopling  of  the  Great  Basin  with  Latter-day 
Saints  was  uppermost  in  the  mind  of  the  great  colonizer, 
Brigham  Young,  and  from  this  time  on  every  effort  was 
made  to  extend  the  borders  of  the  Territory,  by  the 
formation  of  new  cities  and  towns  in  various  parts  of 
the  country.  At  the  close  of  1849  there  were  about 
thirty  thousand  converts  in  Great  Britain,  the  missionary 
work  having  continued  in  that  land  during  the  exodus 
of  the  Saints  in  America.  It  was  a  part  of  the  coloniza- 
tion plan  to  gather  these  to  Zion  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  first  company  of  emigrants,  under  Orson  Spencer, 
arrived  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  from  England  that  fall,  hav- 
ing been  about  eight  months  on  the  way.  Others  fol- 
lowed. Up  to  this  time  the  converts  from  England  had 
paid  their  own  way.  They  had  been  selected  from 
among  the  well-to-do  classes;  but  there  were  now  many 
poor  among  those  who  remained,  as  well  as  among  the 
scattered  Saints  on  the  frontier,  in  Iowa  and  Missouri. 
It  was  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  these  and  others  of  their 
class  to  the  valley  that  the  Perpetual  Emigrating  Fund 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  99 

was  established,  in  October,  1849,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  Brigham  Young.  A  large  sum  of  money 
was  obtained  for  this  fund,  and  Bishop  Edward  Hunter 
was  sent  to  the  frontier  to  put  its  provisions  into  opera- 
tion, and  to  take  charge  of  the  next  season's  emigration. 
At  the  same  time  many  prominent  Elders  were  called  to 
various  parts  of  the  earth  on  missions — to  France, 
Scandinavia,  Italy,  Great  Britain,  Lower  California  and 
the  Society  Islands.  This  fund,  which  was  kept  in 
operation  thereafter  for  upwards  of  forty  years,  proved 
to  be  an  efficacious  medium  in  the  colonization  of  Utah, 
and  was  the  means  of  assisting  many  thousand  persons 
from  a  state  of  poverty  in  the  Old  World  ,to  the  acquisi- 
tion of  pleasant  homes  and  the  comforts  of  life  in  the 
New.  The  Saints  who  were  thus  helped  were  to  refund 
the  amount  borrowed  to  help  others,  as  it  was  considered 
a  loan  rather  than  a  gift.  The  fund  was  thus  made  "per- 
petual." Generally  the  amounts  were  returned;  but 
some  neglected  this,  ether^willingly  or  through  their  finan- 
cial embarrassments,  and  at  the  fifty-year-Jubilee  Con- 
ference, in  1880,  when  one-half  of  the  amount  due  the 
fund  was  remitted  to  the  worthy  needy,  the  outstanding 
accounts  amounted  to  over  one  and  a  half  million  dollars. 
Hand  in  hand  with  the  efforts  at  colonization  went 
the  labors  of  organization.  No  colony  was  left  without 
its  ecclesiastical  authorities  who,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
became  the  rulers  in  religious  and  secular  matters. 
President  Young  arranged  and  explained  the  duties  of 
the  various  quorums  of  the  Priesthood,*  and  never  per- 
mitted any  of  these  1-ong  at  a  time  to  be  incomplete. 


*  The  Church  is  governed  by  the  Holy  Priesthood,  of  which  there  are 
two  grand  heads — the   Melchisedek,.  or  higher,  and  the  Aaronic,  or  lesser. 


100  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

As  early  as  February  12,  1849,  the  ecclesiastical 
organization  of  Salt  Lake  City  was  perfected.  The 
quorum  of  Apostles  was  filled  by  the  calling  and  ordina- 
tion of  Charles  C.  Rich,  Lorenzo  Snow,  Erastus  Snow, 
andFranklin  D.  Richards  to  the  Apostleship.  Then  on 
the  following  two  days  a  Stake  organization  was  effected, 
and  the  city  was  divided  into  nineteen  ecclesiastical 
wards,  with  a  Bishop  over  each.  Until  the  introduction 
of  a  regular  civil  government  these  officers,  and  others 
that  were  appointed  as  new  settlement  was  made,  held 
secular  or  temporal  administration  over  the  people. 
The  public  labors  were  performed  under  their  direction, 
they  were  the  administratois  of  all  temporal  affairs,  the 
judges  among  the  people;  and  under  their  supervision 
the  work  of  founding  and  building  cities  went  on,  under 
the  general  direction  of  Brigham  Young,  and  under  the 
immediate  instructions  of  the  Presidents  of  Stakes.* 

Some  of  the  settlers,  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the 
pioneers,  went  north,  principally  for  the  purpose  of  find- 
ing range  for  their  stock.  What  is  now  Cache  and  Box 
Elder  Counties  were  explored.  Davis  County  was 


The  former  holds  the  right  of  presidency,  the  right  to  receive  revelation  for 
the  guidance  of  the  Church,  and  to  hold  the  keys  of  all  its  spiritual  blessings, 
and  includes  the  quorums  of  Apostles,  Seventies,  High  Priests,  and  Elders* 
also  Patriarchs.  The  latter,  holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels,  and 
the  right  to  minister  in  outward  ordinances,  or  temporal  affairs,  and  includes 
Bishops,  Priests,  Teachers  and  Deacons. — See  Doc.  and  Cov.,  section  III. 

*  A  Stake  is  a  division  of  the  Church,  presided  over  by  a  council  of  three 
High  Priests,  and  in  Utah  generally  corresponds  geographically  to  the  divi- 
'sion  of  counties,  while  in  other  states  and  territories,  it  often  embraces  larger 
districts.  The  stakes  are  divided  into  wards,  in  each  of  which  a  Bishop  and 
his  two  counselors  exercise  supervision.  Wards  are  subdivided  into  districts, 
where  presiding  elders  or  teachers  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Church 
members. 


THE   LIFEOF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  101 

settled  in  the  fall  of  1847;  Ogden,*  by  James  Brown, 
early  in  1848.  In  January  of  that  year  he  purchased  the 
Miles  Goodyear  claim,  which  included  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  present  Weber  County. 

All  these  movements  were  in  keeping  with  the 
instructions  which  the  explorers  received  from  their 
leader  upon  the  first  arrival  of  the  pioneers,  and  were 
agreeable  to  his  grand  scheme  of  colonization. 

Other  districts  in  the  south  were  penetrated.  The 
Sanpete  country  was  explored  in  1848,  by  Isaac  Morley 
and  others;  and  in  June,  1849,  the  Ute  Chief  Walker 
visited  Salt  Lake  City  to  invite  the  Mormons  to  settle 
that  region,  so  that  they  might  teach  the  Indians  how  to 
farm.  "Within  six  moons,"  answered  President  Young, 
"I  will  send  you  a  company."  The  promise  was  kept, 
and  the  site  of  the  city  Manti  was  laid  out  by  him  in 
November  of  that  year. 

The  Country  about  Provo  River,  now  Utah  County, 
was  early  explored,  and  was  settled  in  the  spring  of 
1849.  Many  cities  and  towns  were  soon  after  founded  in 
this  vicinity. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  the  country  west  of  Salt  Lake 
was  explored.  President  Young  named  it  Tule,  owing 
to  the  abundance  of  reeds  found  there.  The  clerk  wrote 
it  Tooele,  and  the  region  is  so  called  today. 

Parley  P.  Pratt  and  George  A.  Smith  explored  the 
country  further  south  resulting  in  the  settlement  of 
colonies  in  what  is  now  Sevier,  Iron  and  other  counties. 


*  The  site  for  Ogden  City  was  selected  on  the  3rd  day  of  September,  1849, 
by  President  Young,  but  it  was  not  until  the  28th  day  of  August  of  the  follow- 
ing year  that  he  and  others  laid  out  the  city,  of  which  Hon.  Lorin  Farr 
became  the  practical  founder. 


102  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

Then  followed  exploring  parties  and  colonies  to  all 
parts  of  the  Territory.  Care  was  always  taken  that  the 
various  crafts  would  be  represented  in  each  colony  and 
that  they  should  provide  themselves  with  plenty  of 
provisions,  stock,  implements  and  other  necessaries. 
Instead  of  building  near  about  the  central  city  it  was 
President  Young's -wiser  plan  to  occupy  the  whole  coun- 
try at  a  sweep.  Thus  as  we  have  seen  whenever  it  was 
deemed  necessary  explorers  were  sent  out  to  select  sites 
for  new  settlements  and  having  decided  upon  their  loca- 
tions volunteers  under  organized  Elders  were  called  for 
to  settle  upon  them  and  build  them  up. 

When  it  is  remembered  how  much  of  wild,  barren 
savage  Utah  was  thus  redeemed  within  two  years  after 
the  arrival  of  the  pioneers,  by  men  scarcely  rested  from 
their  toilsome  journey  over  the  plains,  the  work  appears 
marvelous;  and  we  are  at.  once  impressed  with  the  wis- 
dom, foresight,  energy  and  ability  of  the  man — rather 
the  genius  who  could  so  skillfully  direct  this  work,  him- 
self also  taking  active  part  therein,  and  so  successfully 
plan  for  the  government,  safety  and  welfare  of  these 
communities.*  Under  Brigham  Young,  the  people 
became  so  trained  in  redeeming  the  waste  places,  that 
to  this  day  the  Latter-day  Saints  view  the  colonization 
of  new  regions  almost  as  a  religious  duty.  At  present 
they  occupy  the  country  extending  for  over  a  thousand 
miles  from  Old  Mexico  to  Canada,  and  their  numerous, 
thrifty  cities  and  villages  are  found  in  the  valleys  of  the 


* "  The  settlers,  with  their  marvelous  energy  and  thrift,  made  more 
progress  and  suffered  less  privation  in  reclaiming  the  waste  lands  of  their 
wilderness  than  did  the  Spaniards  in  the  garden  spots  of  Mexico  and  Central 
America,  or  the  English  in  the  most  favored  regions  near  the  Atlantic 
seaboard." — Bancroft's  Utah,  p.  330. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  103 

mountains,  in  nearly  every  State  and  Territory  of  the 
mighty  West.  The  impress  of  the  colonizing  genius  of 
Brigham  Young  is  still  manifest  in  their  midst;  its 
power  has  made  them  the  most  successful  pioneers  and 
empire  founders  of  our  country. 


4.       APPOINTED    GOVERNOR    OF    UTAH. 

The  early  settlers,  as  we  have  seen,  were  at  first 
ruled  by  Church  authority,  and  there  was  little  need  of 
civil  government,  until  people  of  other  faiths  began  to 
mingle  with  the  Saints.  Besides,  up  to  the  spring  of 
1849,  when  the  political  history  of  Utah  properly  begins, 
the  people  had  been  so  busy  with  providing  themselves 
with  food,  with  exploring  the  country,  and  with  selecting 
suitable  places  for  homes,  that  there  had  been  little  time 
for  politics. 

The  war  with  Mexico  was  ended.  The  Mormons  had 
given  their  aid  to  wrest  from  that  country  the  vas't 
region  from  which  was  afterward  formed  the  States  and 
Territories  of  California,  Nevada,  Utah,  New  Mexico, 
and  Arizona.  The  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  was 
signed  February  2nd,  1848,  by  the  terms  of  which  this 
great  western  territory  was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 
The  Mormons  were  well  nigh  the  only  occupants  of  the 
new  domain,  and  they  were  hopeful  and  energetic 
enough  to  believe  that  in  time  they  could  subdue  and 
occupy  the  country  which  they  had  pioneered. 

Under  these  conditions,  President  Young  summoned 
a  convention  of  "all  the  inhabitants  of  that  portion  of 
Upper  California  lying  east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  moun- 
tains." This  convention  assembled  in  Salt  Lake  City, 


104  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

March  4th,  1849,  and  their  deliberation  resulted  in  the 
expressed  determination  to  petition  Congress  to  form  a 
territorial  government.  A  committee  was  also  selected 
to  draft  a  constitution  under  which  the  people  might 
govern  themselves,  until  Congress  should  take  action 
and  otherwise  provide  by  law.  On  the  10th  of  March 
the  constitution  was  adopted  and  a  Provisional  Govern- 
ment was  organized  under  the  name  of  the  State  of 
Deseret.  * 

The  election  of  officers  for  this  Provisional  Govern- 
ment took  place  on  the  12th  of  March,  resulting  in  the 
choosing  of  Brigham  Young  as  Governor;  Willard 
Richards,  Secretary;  Horace  S.  Eldredge,  Marshal; 
Daniel  H.  Wells  Attorney-General;  besides  an  Assessor 
and  Collector,  a  Treasurer,  and  a  Supervisor  of  Roads; 
also  three  judges,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Chief  Justice,  and 
John  Taylor  and  Newel  K.  Whitney  Associates.  The 
Bishops  of  the  several  Wards  were  elected  as  magis- 
trates. The  Nauvoo  Legion — the  militia — was  also 
organized  with  Daniel  H.  Wells  Major-General.  It  was 
not  long  till  the  troops  were  called  into  action  to  protect 
the  settlers  from  Indian  depredations  in  Southern  Deseret 
into  which  region,  as  we  have  seen,  the  .colonists  were 
now  moving.  A  legislature,  or  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Deseret,  consisting  of  a  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives,  was  also  elected,  with  powers  and  duties 
denned. 

Concerning  the  justice  and  fairness  extended  to  all 
classes  under  this  form  of  rule — with  Brigham  Young  as 
Proivsional  Governor — which,  it  must  be  remembered, 


*"  And  they  did  also  carry  with  them  deseret  which,  by  interpretation, 
is  a  honey  bee." — Book  of  Mormon,  Ether,  Chap.  II,  par.  3. 


THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  105 

• . 

was  purely  Mormon,  not  yet  sanctioned  by  the  authority 
of  Congress,  we  have  some  striking  illustrations  in  those 
valuable  and  impartial  works:  "Stansbury's  Expedition," 
and  Gunnison's  "The  Mormons." 

Captain  Stansbury*  says:  "The  jurisdiction  of  the 
'State  of  Deseret'  had  been  extended  over  and  was 
vigorously  enforced  upon  all  who  came  within  its  borders, 
and  justice  was  equitably  administered  ab'ke  to  'Saint'  and 
'Gentile' — as  they  term  all  who  are  not  of  their  per- 
suasion. Their  courts  were  constant}-  appealed  to  by 
companies  of  passing  emigrants,  who,  having  fallen  out 
by  the  way,  could  not  agree  upon  the  division  of  their 
property.  The  decisions  were  remarkable  for  fairness 
and  impartiality,  and  if  not  submitted  to,  were  sternly 
enforced  by  the  whole  power  of  the  community.  Appeals 
for  protection  from  oppression,  by  those  passing  through 
their  midst,  were  not  made  in  vain;  and  I  knew  of  at 
least  one  instance  in  which  the  marshal  of  the  State  was 
despatched,  with  an  adequate  force,  nearly  two  hundred 
miles  into  the  western  desert,  in  pursuit  of  some  mis- 
creants who  had  stolen  off  with  nearly  the  whole  outfit 
of  a  party  of  emigrants.  He  pursued  and  brought  them 
back  to  the  city,  and  the  plundered  property  was  restored 
to  its  rightful  owner.  In  their  dealings  with  the  crowds 
of  emigrants  that  passed  through  their  city,  the  Mormons 
were  ever  fair  and  upright,  taking  no  advantage  of  the 
necessitous  condition  of  many,  if  not  all  of  them. 
*  *  In  the  whole  of  our  intercourse  with  them,  which 


*  Captain  Howard  Stansbury  of  the  U.  S.  Army  Corps  of  Topographical 
Engineers,  came  to  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  28th  of  August,  1849,  wintered 
there,  and  remained  with  his  expedition  in  the  territory  for  a  whole  year, 
exploring  and  surveying  the  Valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  also  Utah  Lake 
and  its  vicinity.  He  also  explored  a  route  from  the  Valley  to  Fort  Hall. 


106  THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG. 

lasted  rather  more  than  a  year,  I  cannot  refer  to  a  single 
instance  of  fraud  or  extortion  to  which  any  of  the  party 
was  subjected." 

Lieutenant  John  W.  Gunnison*  says:  "A  large 
branch  of  the  great  emigration  overland  to  California 
passed  through  the  Mormon  settlements,  which  is  the  best 
route  across  the  country.  Of  the  parties  organized  in 
the  States  to  cross  the  plains,  there  was  hardly  one  that 
did  not  break  into  several  fragments,  and  the  division 
of  property  caused  a  great  deal  of  difficulty.  Many  of 
these  litigants  applied  to  the  courts  of  Deseret  for 
redress  of  grievances,  and  there  was  every  appearance  of 
impartiality  and  strict  justice  done  to  all  -parties.  Of 
course  there  would  be  dissatisfaction  when  the  right  was 
declared  to  belong  to  the  one  side  alone;  and  the  losers 
circulated  letters  far  and  near,  of  the  oppression  of  the 
Mormons.  These  would  sometimes  rebel  against  the 
equity  decisions,  and  then  they  were  made  to  feel  the  full 
majesty  of  the  civil  power.  For  contempt  of  court  they 
were  most  severely  fined,  and  in  the  end  found  it  a  los- 
ing game  to  indulge  in  vituperation  of  the  court,  or 
make  remarks  derogatory  to  the  high  functionaries. 

"Again,  the  fields  in  the  valley  are  imperfectly 
fenced,  and  the  emigrants'  cattle  often  trespassed  upon 
the  crops.  For  this,  a  good  remuneration  was  demanded. 
A  protest  would  usually  be  made,  the  case  then  taken 
before  the  Bishop,  and  the  cost  be  added  to  the  ori- 
ginal demand.  Such  as  these  were  the  instances  of  terri- 
ble oppression  that  have  been  industriously  circulated  as 
unjust  acts  of  heartless  Mormons  upon  the  gold  emigration. 

*  Lieutenant  John  W.  Gunnison,  afterward  Captain,  assisted  Captain 
Stansbury.;  Some  years  later,  October  25th,  1853,  while  encamped  on  the 
Sevier,  he  was  killed  by  the  Ind'ians.  . 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  107 

"But  provisions  were  sold  at  very  reasonable  prices, 
and  their  many  deeds  of  charity  to  the  sick  and  broken- 
down  gold-seekers,  all  speak  loudly  in  their  favor,  and 
must  eventually  redound  to  their  praise.  Such  kindness, 
and  apparently  brotherly  good  will  among  themselves  had 
its  effect  in  converting  more  than  one  to  their  faith  and  the 
proselytes  deserted  the  search  for  golden  ore,  supposing 
they  had  found  there  pearls  of  greater  price.". 

According  to  the  decision  of  the  convention,  which 
was  held  in  March,  to  petition  for  a  territorial  govern- 
ment for  the  citizens  of  the  Great  Basin,  a  memorial, 
signed  by  Brigham  Young  and  2270  others,  was  sent 
to 'Congress,  April  30th,  asking  for  a  "territorial  govern- 
ment of  the  most  liberal  construction  authorized  by  our 
excellent  federal  constitution,  with  the  least  possible 
delay,  "  which  was  carried  to  Washington  by  Dr.  J.  M. 
Bernhisel. 

On  July  2nd,  1849,  the  General  Assembly  of  Deseret 
met  at  Salt  Lake  City;  and  by  joint  agreement  of  its  two 
houses,  it  was  dcided  to  pray  for  the  admission  of 
Deseret  as  a  State  of  the  Union.  '  A  new  memorial  was 
consequently  then  prepared.  Almon  W.  Babbit  was 
elected  delegate  to  Congress,  and  was  sent  to  Washing- 
ton, bearing  the  memorial  and  the  constitution  of  the 
proposed  State.4  Mr.  Babbit  presented  his  documents  to 
Congress,  with  his  credentials  as  delegate  from  the  Pro- 
visional State  of  Deseret,  through  Senator  Stephen  A. 
Douglass,  on  the  27th  of  December  of  that  year;  but  his 
petition  was  denied,  and  he  was,  of  course,  not  admitted 
to  Congress.  Instead,  after  a  <lelay  of  nine  months,  Con- 
gress passed  a  bill  entitled,  "An  act  to  establish  a 
territorial  government  for  Utah,"  providing  for  the 
organization  of  Utah  Territory,  which  was  signed  by 


108  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

President  Millard  Fillmore  and  went  into  force  on  the 
9th  of  September,  1850.  The  President  appointed 
officers  for  the  Territory  as  follows:  Brigham  Young, 
Governor;  B.  D.  Harris,  Secretary;  Joseph  Buffington, 
Chief  Justice;  Perry  C.  Brocchus  and  Zerubbabel  Snow, 
Associate  Justice;  Seth  M.  Blair,  Attorne)';  and  Joseph 
L.  Heywood,  Marshal. 

The  news  of  the  organization  of  the  Territory  and 
the  appointment  of  a  Governor  and  other  officers,  did 
not  reach  the  Valley  until  January  27th,  1851,  being  even 
then  unofficially  conveyed  by  way  of  San  Francisco, 
through  New  York  newspapers  which  were  brought  to 
Salt  Lake  by  Mr.  Henry  E.  Gibson.  In  the  meantime 
the  Provisional  Government  continued  to  bear  sway. 

President  Young  was  on  one  of  his  preaching  tours  in 
the  north,  having  organized  several  bishoprics  in  Davis 
County  and  Ogden  City,  and  formed  the  Weber  Stake  of 
Zion  with  Lorin  Farr  as  President,  when  the  news  of  his 
appointment  reached  him  through  General  Daniel  H. 
Wells,  with,  military  escort,  who  met  him  in  Davis 
County,  and  accompanied  him  to  Salt  Lake  City  "amid 
firing  of  cannon  and  other  demonstrations  of  rejoicing. " 

Viewing  the  source  from  which  the  news  was  ob- 
tained, as  reliable,  he  took  the  oath  of  office  on  the  3rd 
day  of  February,  1851,  and  at  once  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  Governor  of  Utah  Territory. 

His  first  labor  was  to  make  arrangements,  to  change 
the  provisional,  to  the  territorial  form  of  government  and 
on  the  5th  of  April,  1851,  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Deseret*  was  dissolved,  and  the  State  merged 
into  the  Territory  of  Utah. 


*Arnong  the  more  important  of  the  many  acts  of  the  Provisional  Assembly 
may  be  mentioned  the  creation  of  Salt  Lake,  Weber.  Utah,  Sanpete,  Juab,  and 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  109 

Governor  Young  issued  a  proclamation  on  the  1st  of 
July,  1851,  calling  for  the  election  of  a  Territorial 
Legislature,  and  for  a  Delegate  to  Congress,  the  election 
to  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  of  August.  Since  he  was 
also  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  he  established 
three  Indian  Agencies.  On  the  8th  of  August,  by  virtue 
of  the  authority  given  him  in  the  organic  act,  he  defined 
three  judicial  districts,  assigning  a  judge  to  each,  and 
naming  the  time  and  place  of  holding  court.  At  the 
election,  Dr.  Bernhisel  was  chosen  delegate,  and  was  the 
first  man  to  represent  Utah  in  Congress. 

Judges  Brandebury*  and  Snow  came  to  Salt  Lake  City 
in  the  summer,  but  Judge  Brocchus  did  not  arrive  until 
August.  There  was  only  small  remuneration  in  a  Utah 
judgeship  in  those  days.  It  is  said  that  Judge  Brocchus 
came  west  with  a  view  of  being  returned  to  Congress  by 
the  Mormons,  and  was  greatly  disappointed  when  he 
learned  that  a  Delegate  had  already  been  elected.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  he  soon  became  dissatisfied  with  his 
position,  and  succeeded  also  in  disaffecting  Judge  Brande- 
bury and  Secretary  D.  B.  Harris,  and  in  creating  a 
.breach  which  may  be  said  to  be  the  beginning  of  the  long 
controversy  between  the  federal  judges  and  the  Mormons. 
At  a  special  conference  of  the  Church,  held  early  in 
September,  the  federal  officials,  Mormon  and  Gentile, 
all  being  assigned  a  place  on  the  stand  with  President 


Tooele  counties,  and  the  granting  of  a  charter  to  the  University  of  Deseret,  in 
the  winter  of  1849-50;  and  the  passing  of  ordinances  incorporating  Great  Salt 
Lake  City  (January  9th),  Ogden  City,  the  City  of  Manti,  Provo  City  and 
Parowan  City  (February  6th),  and  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  in  1851  (February  8th). 

*Joseph  Buffington  declined  to  serve  as  Chief  Justice,  and  so  Lemuel  H. 
Brandebury  was  appointed  in  his  stead. 


110  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

Young  and  the  leaders  in  the  community,  were  invited 
to  be  present.  The  object  of  inviting  them  was  doubt- 
less to  encourage  harmony  and  good  feeling  between  them 
and  the  community.  They  all  attended,  but  the  dissatis- 
fied Judge  Brocchus,  when  invited  to  speak,  took  occa- 
sion to  harangue  the  people  for  two  hours  relative  to 
their  disloyalty  and  demerits,  drifting  at  length  into  the 
subject  of  polygamy,  and  insulting  the  ladies  by  reference 
to  their  lack  of  chastity,  expressing  a  hope  that  they 
would  "become  virtuous."  These  base  and  groundless 
insinuations  were  more  than  the  congregation  could  bear, 
and  the  speaker  was  hooted,  and  would  doubtless  have 
been  severely  punished  by  the  exasperated  citizens,  had 
it  not  been  that  the  Governor  held  them  in  restraint. 

Before  dismissing  the  meeting,  President  Young 
severely  rebuked  the  Judge,  however,  declaring  him  to  be 
"either  profoundly  ignorant  or  perversely  wicked." 
Subsequently,  the  Judge  was  cordially  invited  to  attend 
a  meeting  where  he  would  be  given  an  opportunity  to 
retract  his  offensive  remarks,  which  the  legal  gentleman 
flatly  refused  to  do.  Then  followed  a  long  correspond- 
ence between  the  two  on  the  subject,  published  in  the 
New  York  Herald,  in  which  President  Young  so  severely 
scored  the  official  that  the  latter  at  length  made  no 
further  reply,  but,  privately  acknowledging  his  defeat, 
authorized  the  Governor  to  apologize  for  him  to  the 
community.  The  whole  affair  created  a  great  sensation 
over  Utah,  in  the  East,  being  there  thoroughly  ventilated 
by  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  Mayor  of  Salt  Lake  City,  in  a 
series  of  pungent  letters  published  in  pamphlet  form, 
and  scattered  broadcast.' 

Soon    after    this    episode,    Governor    Young    was    in- 
formed that  the  Secretary,  together  with    Judges  Brande- 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  Ill 

bury  and  Brocchus,  intended  to  return  to  Washington. 
This  they  did,  setting  forth  on  their  journey  on  Septem- 
ber 28th,  Secretary  Harris  carrying  with  him  the  Terri- 
torial seal,  the  records  and  documents,  as  well  as  the 
$24,000.00  which  had  been  appropriated  by  Congress  for 
the  per  diem  and  mileage  of  the  Legislature,  all  of  which 
were  returned  to  the  proper  national  authorities. 

The  "runaway  judges  and  secretary,"  for  so  they 
were  called,  duly  reported  their  labors,  taking  care  to 
say  that  they  were  compelled  to  leave  Utah  on  account 
of  the  lawless  acts  and  seditious  tendencies  of  Brigham 
Young  and  the  majority  of  the  citizens.  It  is  recorded 
by  Mr.  Stenhouse  that  this  trio,  in  addition  to  their 
report,  said  that  "polygamy  monopolized  all  the  women, 
which  made  it  very  inconvenient  for  the  federal  officers- 
to  reside  there."  This  so  disgusted  the  Government  and 
Congress  that  Daniel  Webster,  who  was  then  Secretary 
of  State,  orderd  the  officials  back  to  their  deserted  posts, 
or  to  resign.  They  chose  the  latter  and  were  thus  forced 
to  retire.  They  had  not  looked  for  such  an  outcome.  About 
this  time  grave  charges  were  circulated  in  the  press  about 
the  character  of  Governor  Young,  and  harsh  things  were 
said  against  the  President  for  appointing  him.  Col. 
Thomas  L.  Kane  did  good  service  for  Governor  Young, 
who  was  thus  attacked  in  the  Buffalo  Courier,  The 
article  was  sent  to  President  Fillmore,  who  demanded  an 
explanation  from  Col.  Kane,  since  he  had  endorsed  the 
gubernatorial  appointment.  The  Colonel  replied  as 
follows  to  the  President: 

"I  have  no  wish  to  evade  the  responsibility  of 
having  vouched  for  the  character  of  Mr.  Brigham  Young, 
of  Utah,  and  his  fitness  for  the  station  he  now  occupies. 
I  reiterate,  without  reserve,  the  statement  of  his  excellent 


112  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

capacity,  energy  and  integrity,  which  I  made  you  prior 
to  his  appointment.  I  am  willing  to  say  I  volunteered  to 
communicate  to  you  the  facts  by  which  I  was  convinced 
of  his  patriotism,  and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the 
Union.  I  made  no  qualification  when  I  assured  you  of 
his  irreproachable  moral  character,  because  I  was  able  to 
speak  of  this^from  my  own  intimate  personal  knowledge. 

"If  any  show  or  shadow  of  evidence  can  be  adduced 
in  support  of  the  charges  of  your  anonymous  assailant, 
the  next  mail'from  Utah  shall  bring  you  their  complete 
and  circumstancial  refutation.  Meanwhile  I  am  ready  to 
offer  this^assurance  for  publication  in  any  form  you  care 
to  indicate,  and  challenge  contradiction  from  any  re- 
spectable authority." 

Other  officers  were  selected  by  Governor  Young  to 
fill  temporarily  the  vacancies  occasioned  by 'the  "runa- 
ways," and -he  made  a  full  explanation  of  the  affair  to 
the  President  of  the  Unied  States.  In  August,  1852, 
followed  the  appointment  of  new  officers  as  follows: 
Lazarus  H.  Reed,  Chief  Justice;  Leonidas  Shaver, 
Associate  Justice;  Benjamin  G.  Ferris.  Secretary. 
Judge  Snow  served  out  his  term. 

The  next  federal  officials  were  Chief  Justice  John  F. 
Kinney,  August  24th,  1853;  Associate  Justice  George  P. 
Stiles,  August  1st,  1854;  Judge  W.  W.  Drummond, 
September  12th,  1854.  The  latter  two  were  chiefly 
instrumental]  in  bringing  about  the  egregious  blunder 
known  as  the  "Utah  War." 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  113 

5.        LEADING    EVENTS    OF    THE    TERM. 

Thus~we  have  a  faint  political  outline  of  the  first 
term  of  Brigham  Yourig's  incumbency  as  Governor. 
From  1850  to  1854  many  significant  events  occurred  in 
the  local  history  of  the  people,  in  all  of  which  the  wisdom 
and  the  directing  mind  of  the  great  leader  were  manifest. 
Little  was  done  without  his  counsel,  and  he  was  not  only 
adviser  and  director,  but  he  was  the  inaugurator  of  the 
most  important  movements  for  the  public  welfare. 

One  of  these  was  the  petition  for  a  railroad.  As 
before  mentioned,  the  Saints  did  not  seek  isolation  that 
they  might  build  up  an  independent  nation;  they  rather 
sought  relief  from  persecution  in  temporary  although 
compulsory  separation.  Never  did  they  falter  in  their 
fealty,  nor  seek  to  be  anything  other  than  loyal  Ameri- 
cans, with  hearts  set  for  their  country's  prosperity  and 
good.  They  sought  to  be  one  with  the  people  of  the 
Union,  and  desired  a  closer  communion  with  them.  To 
this  end,  as  early  as  March  3rd,  1852,  the  Governor  and 
Legislative  Assembly  of  Utah  petitioned  Congress  for  the 
construction  of  a  national  central  railroad  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  also  for  a  telegraph  line.  The  closing  words  of 
their  memorial  are:  "The  road  therein  proposed  would 
be  a  perpetual  chain  or  iron  band  which  would  effectually 
hold  together  our  glorious  Union,  with  an  imperishable 
identity  of  mutual  interest,  thereby  consolidating  our 
relations  with  foreign  powers  in  times  of  peace,  and  our 
defense  from  foreign  invasion  by  the  speedy  transmission 
of  troops  and  supplies  in  times  of  war.  The  earnest  atten- 
tion of  Congress  to  this  important  subject  is  solicited  by 
your  memorialists,  who  in  duty  bound  will  ever  pray." 
When  Dr.  Bernhisel  submitted  the  memorial  to 


114  THE    LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG. 

Congress,  he  was  smiled  at,  and  told  that  he  was  far 
ahead  of  this  age.  He  replied  by  humorously  inviting 
his  colleagues  to  take  a  ride  over  the  road  when  it 
should  be  completed,  and  visit  him  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
Twenty  years  later,  some  of  them  actually  came  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  an  accomplishment  doubtless  more  hurriedly 
made  possible  by  the  petitions  and  the  assistance  of  the 
Mormons. 

Again,  in  Governor  Young's  message  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, December  12,  1853,  he  devotes  much  space  in  urging 
the  building  of  a  Pacific  railroad.  He  said:  "We 
recognize  in  the  Pacific  Railway  a  work  worthy  the  attention 
of  a  great  and  enterprising  people;  and  pass  where  it  will, 
we  cannot  fail  to  be  benefited  by  it.  Its  accomplishment 
cannot  fail  by  reason  of  furnishing  so  rapid  a  convey- 
ance, to  carry  influence  and  power  from  one  extremity  of 
the  Union  to  the  other,  and  make  her  the  arbiter  of  the 
world.  I  have  therefore  thought 

proper  to  call  your  attention  to  the  subject,  hoping  that 
the  interest  which  is  known  to  exist  in  favor  of  this 
route,  will  not  permit  it  to  suffer  for  the  want  of  proper 
representation  to  Congress."  Then  followed  a  great  mass 
meeting  on  January,  1854,  in  which  the  people  took  steps 
to  memorialize  Congress  for  the  construction  of  a  railway 
via  Salt  Lake  to  the  Pacific.  In  1869  the  hopes  of  the 
citizens  were  realized,  and  Brigham  Young  lived  to  aid 
in  the  construction  of  the  great  highway. 

During  the  four  years  referred  to,  the  growth  and  ex- 
tention  of  the  cities  and  villages  continued.  Dramatic 
and  educational  interests  were  encouraged.  Public 
buildings  and  stores  were  erected.  Grist  and  saw  mills 
were  busy  in  all  parts.  Home  manufacturing  institutions 
sprang  up  in  various  places,  encouraged  by  legislative 


THE   LIFE  "OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

appropriation  and  protection.  President  Young  was 
deeply  interested  in  this  subject,  as  in  the  progress  of  all 
the  material  interests  of  the  country.  In  his  legislative 
message  of  January,  1852,  he  said:  /'Deplorable 
indeed  must  be  the  situation  of  that  people  whose  sons 
are  not  trained  in  the  practice  of  every  useful  avoca- 
tion, and  whose  daughters  mingle  not  in  the  hive  of 
industry.  Produce  what  you  consume;  draw  from  the 
native  elements  the  necessaries  of  life;  permit  no 
vitiated  taste  to  lead  you  into  indulgence  of  expensive 
luxuries,  which  can  only  be  obtained  by  involving 
yourselves  in  debt.  Let  home  industry  produce  every 
article  of  home  consumption." 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1853,  the  corner  stone  of  the 
now  completed  great  temple  was  laid  by  President  Young 
assisted  by  his  counselors,  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Willard 
Richards;  forty  years  later,  April  6th,  1893,  the  building 
was  dedicated  by  President  Wilford  Woodruff,  assisted  by 
his  counselors,  George  Q  Cannon  and  Joseph  F.  Smith.* 

Colonization  was  continued.  At  the  October  con- 
ference, 1853,  many  were  called  to  strengthen  the  settle- 
ments in  Iron,  Tooele,  Sanpete,  Box  Elder  and  Juab 
counties. 

The  Indian  question  called  for  careful  diplomacy. 
The  first  troubles  with  the  red  men  occurred  in  1850-1. 
Then  followed  a  period  of.  peace  until  1853,  when  the  Ute 
war  broke  out.  The  conflict  was  doubtless  instigated  by 


*An  incident  in  connection  with  the  breaking  of  the  ground  for  the 
foundation  is  worthy  of  mention.  This  work  was  done  in  February,  the 
President  being  present*  The  ground  was  frozen,  and  hence  broke  in  n  large 
crust.  As  the  men  were  raising  the  first  piece  of  earth  a  silver  dollar  fell  upon 
it  The  sight  of  coin  in  those  days  was  a  rarity,  and  the  appearance  of  the 
silver  at  the  time  and  place,  contributed  doubtless  by  an  unknown  witness  of 
the  proceedings,  was  considered  a  good  omen. 


116  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

New  Mexican  traders,  who  came  to  Utah  and  supplied 
the  Indians  with  firearms,  ammunition,  horses,  etc., 
taking  in  exchange  Indian  women  and  children  who  were 
subsequently  sold  into  slavery. 

Governor  Young  proclaimed  against  this  practices 
and  from  his  message  to  the  Legislature  we  learn  his 
views  on  slavery:  "My  own  feelings  are  that  no  property 
can  or  should  be  recognized  as  existing  in  slaves,  either 
Indian  or  African."  The  slave  traders  did  not  fancy  this 
declaration,  and  other  opposition  of .  a  similar  nature. 
They  became  revengeful,  and  stirred  up  the  savages, 
against  the  residents  of  Utah.  Other  causes  of  the  war 
there  doubtless  were.  One  of  these  was  the  unwise  and 
wicked  course  of  passing  emigrants,  who  often  shot  the 
Indians  without  cause.  The  war  began  in  Payson  on  the 
18th  of  July,  and  spread  from  there  to  many  parts  of  the 
Territory.  Col.  George  A.  Smith  was  given  command  of 
the  militia  south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  his  instructions 
for  the  defense  of  the  settlements  plainly  outline  the 
Indian  policy  of  Governor  Young:  All  the  inhabitants 
were  to  be  gathered  into  forts,  their  stock  coralled,  and 
surrounded  with  armed  guards.  A  conciliatory  course 
towards  the  red  men  was  to  be  maintained,  and  no  offen- 
sive warfare  or  acts  of  retaliation  were  to  be  permitted. 
Vigilant  watch  was  to  be  kept,  and  if  Indians  were 
caught  committing  depredations  they  were  to  be  pun- 
ished. The  people  were  to  look  out  for  surprises,  keep 
in  after  dark,  keep  themselves  secure,  and  not  permit  any 
sense  of  security  to  lull  them  into  a  spirit  of  carelessness. 
It  took  a  great  deal  of  sacrifice  to  carry  these  instructions 
into  effect,  but  where  this  was  not  done,  it  generally 
ended  in  more  loss  than  would  have  been  realized  if  the 
wise  counsel  of  the  Governor  had  been  followed.  One 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  117 

settlement  in  Sanpete  was  slow  in  getting"  ready.  The 
result  was  that  two  hundred  head  of  their  cattle  were  run 
off  by  the  Indians.  The  people  sent  a  messenger  to  the 
Governor  to  report  the  affair  and  to  get  his  advice.  His 
reply  was:  "Inasmuch  as  you  have  no  oxen  and  cows 
to  trouble  you,  you  can  go  to  harvesting  and  take  care 
of  yourselves. " 

Shortly  after  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  Governor 
Young  sent  Chief  Walker  the  following  letter,  strongly 
breathing  the  spirit  of  his  life-long  policy  toward  the  red 
men:  "It  is  cheaper  to  feed  the  Indians  than  to  fight 
them,"  a  motto  which  experience  proved  to  be  correct, 
and  which  has  saved  much  property  and  many  lives  in 
Utah: 

GREAT  SALT  LAKE  CITY,   JULY  25,   1853. 
Captain    Walker:  r^±  ^^ 

I  send  you  some  tobacco  for  you  to  smoke  in  the  moun- 
tains when  you  get  lonesome.  You  are  a  fool  for  fight- 
ing your  best  friends,  for  we  are  the  best  friends,  and 
the  only  friends  you  have  in  the  world.  Every  body  else 
would  kill  you  if  they  could  get  a  chance.  If  you  get 
hungry  send  some  friendly  Indian  down  to  the  settle- 
ments and  we  will  give  you  some  beef-cattle  and  flour. 
If  you  are  afraid  of  the  tobacco  which  I  send  you,  you 
can  let  some  of  your  prisoners  try  it  first,  and  then  -you 
will  know  that  it  is  good.  When  you  get  good-natured 
again  I  would  like  to  see  you.  Don't  you  think  you 
would  be  ashamed?  You  know  that  I  have  always  been 
your  best  friend. 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG. 

Governor  Young,  in  a  tour  of  the  south,  in  the  spring 
of  1854,  made  it  a  point  to  obtain  a  meeting  with  Chief 
Walker  and  some  of  the  native  tribes.  Presents  were 
distributed  and  the  pipe  of  peace  was  passed  around. 
He  succeeded  by  wise  diplomacy  in  effecting  a  treaty 


118  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

with  the  savages,  which  ended  the  trouble.  As  a  result 
of  the  conflict,  about  twenty  whites,  and  a  large  number 
of  Indians,  were  killed,  while  the  people  and  the  terri- 
tory together  suffered  a  loss  of  about  $300,000. 

Chief  Walker  died  in  January,  1855,  urging  upon 
his  braves  to  live  in  peace  with  the  Mormons,  whom  he 
had  truly  learned  to  regard  as  his  friends. 

With  the  chief  were  buried  two  others,  who  had 
been  killed,  as  was  the  custom,  to  be  his  companions  to 
the  happy  hunting  grounds.  This  reminds  us  of  an  inci- 
dent which  occurred  in  one  of  President  Young's  travels. 
He,  with  his  train  of  thirty  carriages,  had  been  on  a  visit 
south,  and  returning  were  met  by  bands  of  Walker's 
Indians,  who  showed  signs  of  an  attack.  They  drew  their 
bows,  gesticulating  and  yelling,  until  it  was  considered 
unsafe  to  continue.  Walker  was.  encamped  across  the 
valley  about  sixteen  miles  south  of  Nephi.  President 
Young  ordered  his  carriages  to  cross  directly  over  to  the 
Indian  camp,  and  his  whole  train  drove  directly  into  it, 
settled  down  and  stayed  for  the  night.  It  happened  that 
Walker  had  a  very  sick  child,  that  the  medicine  man  had 
given  up  to  die.  To  the  interpreter  Chief  Walker  said 
he  wished  a  white  man  out  of  President  Young's  party 
to  accompany  the  child  through  the  valley  of  death. 
Remonstrated  with,  he  became  more  emphatic  in  his 
demands,  when  the  interpreter  went  to  the  President 
and  told  him  what  was  wanted.  Going  to  the  chief, 
President  Young  told  him  to  send  away  his  medicine 
man,  he  was  no  good.  He  then  asked  permission  to 
administer  to  the  child,  which  was  granted.  The  child 
was  immediately  healed,  and  doubtless  grew  up  to  be  a 
true  brave.  President  Young's  party  were  allo'wed  to 
proceed  unmolested,  and  the  incident  created  a  lasting 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHA&f   YOUNG.  119 

favorable  impression    in    the    mind    of    the    Indian    chief, 
who  was  thereafter  more  friendly  than  ever  before. 

The  practice  of  polygamy  among  the  Mormons  was 
not  generally  made  known  until  the  year  1852.  At  a 
conference  of  the  Church,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  29th 
day  of  August,  it  was  first  publicly  avowed.  The  system 
of  a  plurality  of  wives  was  long  before  this  time  prac- 
ticed by  the  Saints,  in  Nauvoo,  Winter  Quarters  and  in 
Utah.  The  revelation  on  celestial  marriage  was  given 
to  Joseph  the  Prophet,  July  12th,  1843,  but  it  was  not 
made  public  generally  until  this  August  day,  when  it  was 
read  to  the  Saints,  who  accepted  it  as  the  word  of  God, 
and  as  a  tenet  of  their  faith.  Then  followed  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  doctrine  by  missionaries  to  the  whole 
world.  Afterward  -it  became  the  leading  question  for 
contention  between  the  officers  of  the  government  and 
the  Mormons,  until  the  practice  was  finally  suspended  by 
a  manifesto  of  President  Wilford  Woodruff,  dated  Sep- 
tember 24th,  1890.  At  the  following  October  Conference 
the  Church  accepted  his  declaration  concerning  plural 
marriages  as  authoritative  and  binding,  and  the  doctrine 
is  now  neither  taught  nor  practiced.  Whatever  may  be 
said  on  the  subject,  Brigham  Young  was  a  firm  believer 
in  the  doctrine,  and,  as  in  other  matters,  showed  his 
faith  by  his  works.  To  him  its  practice  was  a  duty 
which  he  felt  as  incumbent  upon  him  as  any  other  of  the 
teachings  or  revelations  of  the  Prophet  Joseph.  In  its 
practice,  as  in  all  things  else,  he  followed  the  program 
outlined  by  his  prophet  leader,  and  he  was  honest 
therein. 


120  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

6.        REAPPOINTED    GOVERNOR. 

Politically,  the  years  1852-3  were  not  of  great 
interest.  At  the  approach  of  the  expiration  of  Governor 
Young's  term  of  office,  President  Franklin  Pierce  was 
asked  to  re-appoint  him,  but,  owing  doubtless  to  the  evil 
imputations  against  his  character,  circulated  by  Secre- 
tary Ferris  and  others,  the  President  at  first  declined  to 
do  so. 

In  August,  1854,  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  J.  Steptoe 
arrived  in  Utah,  with  a  detachment  of  troops,  on  his  way 
to  California.  To  him  the  President  tendered  the 
Governorship  of  Utah.  The  Colonel  respectfully 
declined  the  honor,  and,  with  leading  citizens  of  the 
Territory,  memorialized  the  President  to  re-appoint 
Governor  Young  to  that  office.  The  petition  sets  forth 
that  "he  is  decidedly  the  most  suitable  person  that  can 
be  selected."  He  possesses  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
people  of  the  Territory,  without  regard  to  party  or  sect; 
is  "a  tried  pillar  of  Republican  institutions,"  a  "warm 
friend  and  able  supporter  of  constitutional  liberty,"  and 
"he  possesses  in  an  eminent  degree  every  qualification 
necessary  for  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties,"  both 
as  Governor  and  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs. 

This  memorial,  signed  alike  by  leading  Mormons 
and  Gentiles,  army  officers  and  federal  officials,  was 
forwarded  to  Washington  in  December,  and  resulted  in 
the  re-appointment  of  Brigham  Young  as  Governor. 

No  better  selection  could  have  been  made.  The 
Founder  of  Utah  was  a  good  Governor,  and  his  peoples' 
interests,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Territory  and  nation, 
had  been  faithfully  served  by  him.  He  may  have  taken 
vigorous  action  in  the  execution  of  certain  ideas  of  h*s 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  121 

own  that  displeased  or  offended  his  enemies,  but  in  his 
day,  and  with  his  surroundings,  such  a  course  was 
necessary.  "Had  Brigham  Young  been  otherwise  than 
as  God  and  nature  made  him,  could  he  have  done  so 
well  the  work  assigned  him  by  destiny?  Do  weak  men 
conduct  exoduses  and  conquer  deserts?  Do  they  hold 
in  check  the  merciless  savage,  build  cities  and  temples 
and  enthrone  civilization  in  the  midst  of  solitude  and 
sterility?  Utah's  great  pioneer  was  a  man  of  iron.  He 
had  to  be,  in  order  that  his  work  might  not  be  poorly 
or  but  partly  done.  And  yet  he  possessed — what  no 
tyrant  ever  did — the  love  of  his  people,  to  a  marvelous 
degree.  No  despot  was  ever  loved  like  Brigham  Young. 
No  leader  at  his  death  was  ever  more  sincerely  mourned 
by  his  followers.  It  was  not  a  'trembling  submission' 
that  was  paid  to  him  in  life:  it  was  not  an  affected 
sorrow  that  was  manifested  at  his  death.  They  regarded 
him  as  a  prophet,  it  is  true;  but  they  also  knew  him  to 
be  a  superior  man,  and  loved  and  trusted  him  accord- 
ingly."* 

If  Governor  Young  had  shown  what  some  of  the 
federal  officials  called  disrespect  to  federal  authority,  it 
was  because  of  the  worthlessness  of  the  government's 
representatives. f  There  were  noteworthy  exceptions,  and 
they  were  generally  in  harmony  with  the  Governor,  sent 
to  Utah  to  uphold  the  majesty  of  the  law,  and  not 


*Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  p.  535,  Vol.  1. 

'fSpeaking  of  the  federal  judges,  up  to  and  including  Drummond,  Ban- 
croft, in  his  History  of  Utah,  says,  page  492:  "If  it  was  true  that  the 
magistrates  appointed  by  the  United  States  were  held  in  contempt,  there  was 
sufficient  provocation.  Two  of  them,  as  we  have  seen,  deserted  their  post,  a 
third  was  probably  an  opium  eafer,  a  fourth  a  drunkard,  a  fifth  a  gambler  and 
a  lecher." 


122  THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

because  he  disregarded  the  institutions  or  laws  of  his 
country.  These  he  ever  honored  and  upheld.  He  was 
the  means  of  instituting  such  order  and  justice  in  Utah, 
in  his  day,  as  were  never  equalled  in  any  other  western 
State  or  Territory  in  our  frontier  history. 

"Possessing  unbounded  influence,  he  used  his  power 
most  temperately,  and  his  whole  aim  was  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  people."*  He  had  his  faults,  but  his 
personal  reputation  was  above  reproach;  like  all  strong 
a*nd  great  men,  he  had  bitter  enemies,  but  the  unerring 
judgment  of  time  will  prove  that  they  were  wrong  and 
he  was  right,  for  truth  triumphs  in  the  end. 


7.        THE    CALAMITIES    OF    1856. 

The  people  of  Utah  were  subjected  to  a  period  of 
want,  in  the  early  months  of  1856,  caused  by  the  pre- 
vious season's  crop  being  destroyed  by  grasshoppers  and 
drouth.  Besides  the  winter  of  1855-6  was  very  severe, 
causing  death  to  thousands  of  cattle,  thus  adding  to  the 
hardships  endured  by  the  settlers.  Even  the  most  well- 
to-do  were  compelled  to  add  sego  and  thistle  roots,  and 
other  wild  plants,  to  their  scanty  rations  of  meal  and 
vegetables.  For  some  years  President  Young  had 
advised  the  people  to  store  grain  and  provisions  in  the 
days  of  plenty  against  a  time  of  scarcity.  When  the 
calamity  was  approaching  he  said  in  a  sermon:  "For  one, 
I  have  seen  months  and  months  in  this  city  when  I 
could  have  wept  like  a  whipped  child  to  see  the  awful 
stupidity  of  the  people  in  not  realizing  the  blessings 


•Cannon's  History  of  the  Mormons,  p.  6. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  123 

bestowed  upon  them  in  grain;  I  could  have  wept  to  see 
this  people  trample  on  the  mercies  of  their -benefactor  in 
bestowing  the  fruits  of  the  earth  upon  them  in  such 
plenty.  If  the  Lord  is  now  disposed  to  teach  us  a 
lesson,  and  make  us  thereby  wise  men  and  wise  women, 
and  prudent  in  all  our  ways,  all  I  have  to  say  is,  amen, 
it  is  all  right." 

But  some  had  heeded  his  advice,  among  whom  were 
many  of  the  leaders,  who  were  thus  prepared  to  help  in 
the  hour  of  need,  while  others  had  ignored  the  counsel. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  aid  which  the  leaders  rendered, 
and  the  community  of  feeling  prompting  to  liberality 
and  sameness,  the  condition  of  the  destitute  would  have 
been  appalling;  but  all  shared  alike, 'and  to  their  lasting 
credit  be  it  said  that  sue  :or  was  not  withheld  from  the 
poor  and  hungry  multitude,  who  weie  often  fed  without 
price. 

Besides  sharing  freely  what  he  had  with  the  Saints, 
President  Young  devised  various  plans  to  engage  labor 
for  the  people,  in  manufacturing  and  mining  enterprises. 
He  encouraged  the  people  to  work  and  be  happy,  and 
resign  themselves  to  the  will  of  God.  He  urged  them  to 
plant  and  sow  and  to  be  just  as  satisfied  if  they  raised 
nothing  as  if  they  raised  an  abundance.  This  course,  he 
said  would  reconcile  them  to  the  providences  of  the 
Almighty,  and  in  this  they  would  find  happiness,  even 
in  severest  adversity. 

To  add  to  their  troubles,  the  Indians,  becoming 
hungry  and  mean,  precipitated  another  war,  which  was 
known  as  the  Tintic  war.  It  caused  the  death  of  twelve 
of  the  settlers  in  Utah.  Indian  depredations  on  the 
plains  were  also  numerous  that  year. 

But  the  year's  greatest  calamity  befel  the  late   hand- 


124  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

cart  companies.  There  were  in  all  five  companies  of 
emigrating  Saints,  mostly  from  England,  who  had 
decided  to  cross  the  plains  on  foot  that  year,  traversing 
deserts,  wading  rivers,  climbing  mountains,  a  distance  of 
thirteen  hundred  miles  to  Salt  Lake  City.  Three  com- 
panies arrived  in  the  valley  after  a  three  months'  journey, 
comparatively  in  good  condition;  but  the  last  two  were 
caught  in  the  snows  and  the  storms  of  an  early  winter. 
After  suffering  starvation  and  untold  hardships  their 
remnants  finally  arrived  in  the  valley,  the  last  delayed 
company,  composed  of  six  hundred  persons,  having  lost 
more  than  one-fourth  of  their  numbers  by  death.  All 
would  have  shared  the  same  fate  save  for  the  promptness 
of  President  Young  in  organizing  parties  which  were 
sent  to  their  relief.  His  actions,  in  this  matter,  earned 
the  plaudits  of  friend  and  foe  alike.  It  was  at  the 
October  Conference  that  he  first  heard  of  their  plight. 
His  son  Joseph  A.  was  sent  to  their  assistance,  with 
orders  to  take  all  the  provisions,  clothing  and  vehicles 
he  could  obtain,  and  press  on  to  the  rescue.  Writing  on 
the  subject  after,  Mr.  John  Chislett,  in  his  description 
of  the  handcart  companies,  says:  "Brigham  at  once 
suspended  all  conference  business,  and  declared  that 
nothing  further  should  be  done  until  every  available  team 
was  started  out  to  meet  us.  He  set  the  example  by 
sending  several  of  his  best  mule  teams,  laden  with  pro- 
visions. Heber  C.  Kimball  did  the  same,  and  hundreds 
of  others  followed  their  noble  example.  People  who 
had  come  from  distant  parts  of  the  Territory  to  attend 
conference  volunteered  to  go  out  to  meet  us,  and  went 
at  once.  The  people  who  had  no  teams  gave  freely  of 
provisions,  bedding,  etc.,  all  doing  their  best  to  help  us." 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  125 

8.        THE   UTAH   WAR. 

While  these  disasters  fell  upon  the  people  at  home, 
there  were  agencies  at  work  which  were  to  result  in  still 
additional  trouble.  These  were  nothing  less  than  misrep- 
resentations of  enemies,  which  ended  at  length  in  the 
sending  of  an  army  to  Utah  to  quell  an  imaginary 
rebellion. 

One  of  the  agents  that  helped  to  bring  about  the 
Utah  war,  or  Buchanan's  Expedition,  was  a  mail  con- 
tractor named  W.  F.  M.  Magraw,  who  had  been  con- 
ducting a  service  to  Salt  Lake  City  from  Missouri.  On 
the  3rd  of  October,  1856,  he  sent  a  letter  to  President 
James  Buchanan,  in  which  he  makes  some  unsupported 
assertions  of  Mormon  treason,  tyranny,  rapine,  indiscri- 
minate bloodshed,  robbery,  etc.  ,The  reason  assigned  for 
his  writing  was  "to  prevent,  if  possible,  scenes  of  law- 
lessness, which,  I  fear,  will  be  inevitable  unless  speedy 
and  powerful  preventatives  are  applied. "  But  evidently 
the  real  cause  of  his  fear  was  that  a  Mormon,  Mr.  Hiram 
Kimball  had  been  awarded  the  government  mail  contract 
over  his  former  route. 

Added  to  this,  and  like  a  link  in  a  chain  of  seeming 
conspiracy,  followed  the  resignation  of  Judge  W.  W. 
Drummond,  dated  March  30,  1857.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  after  the  "runaway  judges"  had  gone  to  Washing- 
ton, Judge  Snow  was  left  alone  to  conduct  the  business 
of  the  courts.  He  was  overcrowded  with  work,  and  to 
lighten  his  burdens  the  legislature,  in  1852,  passed  an 
act  giving  the  probate  courts  "power  to  exercise  original 
jurisdiction,  both  civil  and  criminal,  and  as  well  in 
chancery  as  in  common  law,  when  not  prohibited  by 
legislative  enactment."  Up  to  the  time  that  Associate 


126  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

Justice  Stiles  and  Drummond  were  appointed,  in  the  fall 
of  1854,  the  district  judges  had  tacitly  admitted  the  juris- 
diction of  the  probate  courts,  and  even  confirmed  their 
jurisdiction;  but  these  new  judges  made  a  direct  issue 
by  ignoring  the  authority  of  the  lower  courts  and  their 
officials,  declaring  that  the  powers  granted  to  them  by 
the  act  of  1852  were  of  no  effect.*  Judge  Drummond 
asserted  that  the  laws  of  the  Territory  were  founded  in 
ignorance,  and  he  sought  to  abrogate  some  of  the  most 
important  of  them.  This  same  judge  came  to  Utah  with 
a  harlot,  whom  he  seated  by  his  side  on  the  judicial 
bench,  leaving  a  wife  and  family  unsupported  in  Illinois. 
He  was  indignantly  opposed  to  the  peculiar  institution 
of  the  "ignorant  and  unvirtuous  Mormons,"  whose  family 
system  of  a  plurality  of  /wives  was  to  them  a  part  of  their 
religion.  He  was  a  worthless  man.  In  the  history  of 
Utah,  Mr.  H.  H.  Bancroft  says  of  him:  "Gambler  and 
bully,  he  openly  avowed  that  he  had  come  to  Utah  to 
make  money,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Chief  Justice 
declared,  'Money  is  my  God. '  When  first  he  appeared 
in  court,  he  insulted  the  community  by  rr.ocking  at  their 
laws  and  institutions.  He  also  declared 

that  he  would  set  aside  the  finding  of  the  probate  courts 
in  all  cases  other  than  those  which  lay  strictly  within 
their  jurisdiction." 

For  these  moral  reasons,  no  less  than  for  his  judicial 
course,  he  became  very  unpopular,  concluding  at  length 
to  leave  his  post.  Pretending  to  depart  for  the  purpose 
of  holding  court  in  Carson  County,  now  Nevada,  he  went 
home  instead  by  way  of  California,  where  he  wrote  his 


*The  complications  thus  arising  were  continued   for  twenty  years,   until 
Congress  settled  the  matter  by  passing  the  Poland  Bill,  June  23,  1874. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  127 

resignation  to  the  Attorney-General,  also  a  letter  giving 
his  reasons  for  taking  such  a  step.  In  this  communica- 
tion, he  conjures  up  many  wicked  lies  and  groundless 
accusations.  He  says,  among  other  things,  that  "there 
is  a  secret  oath-bound  organization  among  all  the  male 
members  of  the  Church  to  resist  the  laws  of  the  country. 
*  There  is  a  set  of  men,  set  apart  by 

special  order  of  the  Church,  to  take  both  the  lives  and 
property  of  persons  who  may  question  the  authority  of 
the  Church.  The  records,  papers,  etc., 

of  the  Supreme  Court  have  been  destroyed  by  order  of 
the  Church,  with  the  direct  knowledge  and  approbation 
of  Governor  B.  Young,  and  the  federal  officers  grossly 
insulted  for  presuming  to  raise  a  single  question  about 
the  treasonable  act.  The  federal  officers 

of  the  Territory  are  constantly  insulted,  harassed,  and 
annoyed  by  the  Mormons,  and  for  these  insults  there  is 
no  redress.  *  *  The  federal  officers  are 

daily  compelled  to  hear  the  forms  of  the  American 
Government  traduced,  the  chief  executives  of  the  nation, 
both  living  and  dead,  slandered  and  abused  from  the 
masses,  as  well  as  from  all  the  leading  members  of  the 
Church,  in  the  most  vulgar,  loathsome  and  wicked 
manner  that  the  evil  passions  of  men  can  possibly 
conceive."  He  then,  besides,  charges  the  Governor  with 
improperly  pardoning  criminals,  and  advising  jurors 
beforehand,  so  that  no  charges  but  his  are  obeyed.  The 
murder  of  Captain  Gunnison  and  others  he  lays  to  the 
Mormons;  the  judiciary,  he  considers,  is  treated  as  a 
farce,  the  "officers  are  insulted,  harassed  and  murdered 
for  doing  their  duty."  In  closing,  he  suggests  that,  "if 
there  vras  a  man  put  in  office  as  Governor  of  that  terri- 
tory, who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Church  (Mormon), 


128  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

and  he  supported  with  a  sufficient  military  aid,  much 
good  would  result  from  such  a  course." 

As  soon  as  these  charges  were  made  known  in  Utah, 
they  were  duly  answered  and  shown  to  be  false;  but  it 
appears,  nevertheless,  from  subsequent  events,  that  his 
evil  reports  were  believed,  acted  upon,  and  were  the 
basis  upon  which  the  President  committed  his  great 
blunder  in  sending  an  army  to  Utah. 

There  was  another  alleged  aggravation  which  is 
referred  to  in  connection  with  the  war.  President  Young 
had  contemplated  the  establishment  of  a  great  carrying 
company,  between  the  Missouri  and  the  Great  Basin,  to 
promote  emigration  to  the  west,  and  commercial  inter- 
course and  rapid  mail  communication  between  the  east 
and  the  isolated  Saints.  This  projected  company  was 
organized  in  January,  1856,  when  the  enterprise  was  set 
on  foot.  The  Government  mail  contract,  which  Mr. 
Kimball  had  received,  became  the  basis  of  its  operations, 
since  President  Young  was  desirous  that  all  diligence 
should  be  used  in  keeping  faith  with  the  Government. 
Stations  were  now  established  at  convenient  distances 
across  the  plains,  at  great  expense.  But  no  sooner  were 
these  settlements  formed  than  the  Indian  agents  in  the 
neighborhood,  possibly  fearing  the  limitation  of  their 
trade  with  the  savages,  construed  their  erection  as  an  in- 
vasion of  the  Indian  lands.  Then  followed  letters  to  the 
Indian  Department  at  Washington,  with  exaggerated 
complaints  of  this  Mormon  invasion. 

In  addition  to  these  accusations,  the  federal  oftcials 
contributed,  by  letters  and  affidavits,  in  creating  preju- 
dice against  the  people.  Governor  Young  was  charged 
with  dishonesty  in  Indian  affairs,  and  with  expending 
improper!}'  the  Government  funds  appropriated  for  the 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  129 

Indians.  Many  other-  trivial  complaints,  false  as  they 
were  trivial,  were  'set  afloat,  among  which  was  the  absurd 
charge,  still  believed  by  the  ignorant,  that  he  read  all  the 
letters  that  came  to  or  went  out  of  Utah. 

Upon  these  false  or  grossly  exaggerated  charges  and 
complaints,  President  Buchanan,  led  also,  it  has  been 
said,  by  a  rebellious  desire  to  scatter  the  forces  of  the 
Union,  in  case  of  a  rupture  with  the  South  on  the  slavery 
question,  which  was  then  the  burning  topic  of  the  day, 
without  further  investigation,  decided  that  a  rebellion 
existed  in  Utah;  and  he  took  steps  to  invade  the  Territory 
with  the  United  States  army,  the  plan  being  to  keep  the 
Mormons  in  ignorance  of  the  proposed  invasion.  Accord- 
ingly, Brigham  Young  was  superceded  as  Governor  by 
Alfred  Gumming,  who  was  to  be  installed  and  maintained 
in  place  by  the  force  which  was  ordered  to  march  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  ostensibly  as  posse  comitatus,  to  sustain 
his  authority. 

An  army  of  2,500  well-equipped  men  was  ordered  to 
march  to  the  Territory,  under  command  of  Brigadier- 
Geneal  W.  S.  Harney,  who  was  afterward  succeeded  by 
Colonel  Albert  Sidney  Johnston.  General  Harney,  under 
date  of  June  29,  1857,  was  thoroughly  instructed  as  to  how 
to  proceed.  His  soldiers  were  made  to  believe  that  a 
genuine  rebellion  existed,  and  with  this  understanding 
began  their  march.  As  stated,  the  Mormons  were  not 
aware  of  the  approach  of  the  army.  There  had  been  no 
mail  to  Utah  from  the  east  for  upwards  of  six  months, 
owing  to  Mr.  Magraw's  failure  to  close  his  contract. 

Agents  of  the  Young  Express  Company,  who  had 
now  taken  the  first  mail  to  Missouri  from  Salt  Lake  City, 
on  the  Kimball  contract,  were  the  first  to  learn  definitely 
of  the  proposed  expedition,  since  the  postal  agent  at 


130  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

Independance,  declined  to  deliver  the  return  mails  for 
Salt  Lake  City  to  them,  stating  that  he  had  instructions 
from  Washington  to  that  effect.  A  rumor  that  the 
Government  had  ordered  an  army  to  Utah,  that  Brigham 
Young  had  been  superceded  as  Governor,  and  that  a  full 
set  of  officials  were  accompanying  the  troops  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  had  reached  the  agents  before,  and  they  had  now 
seemingly  obtained  an  official  confirmation.  It  was  then 
that  they  decided  to  break  up  the  various  stations  of  the 
express  company,  and  f  take  the  property  with  them  to 
the  west.  This  they  did,  reaching  Fort  Laramie  July 
17th.  Here  it  was  decided  to  leave  a  portion  of  the 
party  to  take  charge  of  and  bring  forward  the  property, 
while  Messrs.  A.  O.  Smoot,  Judson  Stoddard,  and  Orin 
Porter  Rockwell,  were  selected  to  press  on  in  advance 
to  the  Valley  to  tell  the  news.  They  reached  Salt  Lake 
City  on  the  evening  of  July  23rd,  having  made  the  dis- 
tance, five  hundred  miles,  in  five  days  and  three  hours. 
The  next  day  was  Pioneer  Day,  July  24th.  The 
alleged  rebellious  Mormons,  with  song  and  dance  and 
innocent  amusement,  were  celebrating  their  advent  into 
the  Valley  ten  years  before.  The  mam  body  of  celebra- 
tors  had  chosen  a  spot  for  this  purpose  at  the  head  of 
Big  Cottonwood  Canyon,  near  a  beautiful  lake  in  the 
Wasatch  mountains.  Here  they  patriotically  hoisted 
the  good  old  flag,  rejoicing  under  its  folds,  little  dream- 
ing that  their  country  was  in  arms  against  them.  The 
amusements  were  at  their  height  on  that  beautiful  July 
morning,  when  the  three  before-mentioned  travel-stained 
messengers  eagerly  made  their  way  up  the  canyon  road 
to  the  merry  camp.  They  went  direct  to  the  tent  of 
President  Young,  and  informed  him  of  the  startling  news. 
He  faced  the  fact  with  that  resoluteness  and  coolness 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.  131 

that  were  characteristic  of  his  great  mind — that  stamped 
him  with  the  seal  of  greatness.  He  de^berately  called  a 
council  of  the  leading  Elders,  presenting  the  subject 
before  them  in  a  few  words.  No  excitement  prevailed, 
and  it  was  not  until  time  for  evening  prayers  that  the 
whole  camp  were  informed  of  the  character  of  the  alarm- 
ing message  conveyed  by  the  travelers.  In  addressing 
the  people,  the  President  said:  "Liars  have  reported 
that  this  people  have  committed  treason,  and  upon  their 
misrepresentations  the  President  has  ordered  out  troops 
to  assist  in  officering  this  Territory.  If  those  officers  are 
like  many  who  have  previously  been  sent  here,  and  we 
have  reason  to  believe  they  are,  or  they  would  not  come 
where  they  know  they  are  not  wanted,  they  are  poor, 
broken-down  political  hacks,  not  fit  for  the  civilized 
society  whence  they  came,  and  so  they  are  dragooned  upon 
us  for  officers.  *  *  *  I  feel  that  I  won't  bear 
such  treatment,  *  *  *  tor  we  are  just  as  free 
as  the  mountain  air.  *  This  people  are 

free;  they  are  not  in  bondage  to  any  government  on 
God's  foot-stool.  We  have  trangressed  no  law,  neither 
do  we  intend  to  do  so;  but  as  for  any  nation  coming 
to  destroy  this  people,  God  Almighty  being  my  helper  it 
shall  not  be." 

While  it  was  the  seeming  aim  of  the  Government 
to  use  the  army  only  for  sustaining  the  civil  officers, 
President  Young's  experience  with  military  bodies  in 
Missouri  and  Illinois,  had  led  him  to  lose  confidence  in 
their  asserted  designs,  and  to  be  suspicious  of  their 
intents.  Besides,  why  had  not  the  officers  been  sent 
without  the  army?  There  had  been  no  resistance  to  the 
civil  authorities  heretofore,  why  was  it  now  necessary  to 
put  them  in  place  with  the  aid  of  troops?  The  real 


132  THE   LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

object  was  evidently  hidden.  It  was  the  extermination 
of  the  Mormons,  the  spoliation  of  their  homes  and 
possessions,  their  complete  annihilation.  So  thought 
Brigham  Young,  and  he  dealt  accordingly  with  the 
stubborn  facts  as  they  presented  themselves.  He  was 
not  willing  to  witness  over  again  the  scenes  of  Far  West 
and  Nauvoo,  and  so  decided  to  resist  the  army,  at  least 
to  begin  with,  until  the  Government  might  awaken  to  its 
folly;  if  that  failed,  then  to  lay  waste  the  country  as 
when  he  found  it,  and  seek  elsewhere  for  home,  peace 
and  liberty.  Hence  some  of  his  remarks  to  his  people, 
in  his  sermons: 

"They  say  that  the  coming  of  their  army  is  legal,  and 
I  say  it  is  not.  *  *  *  I  am  not  going  to  permit  troops 
here  for  the  protection  of  the  priests  and  the  rabble  in 
their  efforts  to  drive  us  from  the  land  we  possess.  *  *  * 
I  am  sworn,  if  driven  to  extremity,  to  utterly  lay  waste  this 
land  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God,  and  our  enemies  shall 
find  it  as  barren  as  when  we  came  here." 

And  the  design  would  have  been  carried  out,  had  it 
been  found  necessary. 

On  September  17th,  the  Governor  declared  the 
Territory  under  martial  law,  and  forbade  any  armed  force 
from  entering  it  under  any  pretense  whatever.  At  the 
same  time,  he  sent  a  messenger  east  to  Col.  Thomas  L. 
Kane,  with  a  document  in  which  he  explained  to  the 
national  authorities  his  motives  in  taking  this  step.  He 
hoped  by  this  means  that  they  might  be  led  to  see  the 
error  and  make  an  amicable  adjustment  of  the  difficulty. 
Col.  Kane  was  asked  to  see  the  President  and  lay  the 
matter  before  him. 

The  army,  under  Col.  Johnston,  left  Leavenworth  on 
the  17th  of  September,  reaching  Fort  Laramie  October 


THE   LIFE   OF   BIIIGHAM   YOUNG.  133 

5th.  From  this  point  on  they  met  resistance.  The  Nau- 
voo  Legion  was  thoroughly  organized  under  command  of 
Lieutenant-General  Daniel  H.  Wells,  and  by  order  of 
Governor  Young  took  the  field  to  prevent  the  entrance  of 
the  troops  into  the  Valley.  Then  followed  the  Echo 
Canyon  campaign,  in  which  nearly  2,500  men,  young  and 
old,  gathered  to  confront  the  invading  army;  the  burning 
of  Fort  Bridger  and  its  supplies;  and  the  destruction  by 
fire  of  the  Government  trains  by  Lot  Smith.  Finally  the 
invading  troops,  crippled,  starved  and  frozen,  were 
forced  to  go  into  winter  quarters  on  Black's  Fork;  dis- 
couraged and  well-nigh  annihilated,  and  that  without  the 
shedding  of  blood, -it  was  plain  to  them  that  their  expedi- 
tion was  a  failure.  Excepting  a  guard,  the  Utah  militia 
returned  to  their  homes  early 'in  December.  So  matters 
rested  until  spring,  when  it  was  fully  expected  that  the 
conflict  would  begin  anew.  To  this  end  preparations 
went  on  in  Utah.*  Governor  Young,  in  his  message  to 
the  legislature,  referred  at  length  to  the  situation,  justify- 
ing his  course,  in  which  that  body  acquiesced.  The  citizens 
and  the  legislature,  in  January,  1858,  memorialized  Con- 
gress and  the  President,  setting  forth  the  true  state  of 
affairs  in  Utah,  and  asking  for  constitutional  rights. 

At  Washington  public  sentiment  was  greatly  excited 
against  the  Mormons;  but  many  of  the  nation's  leading 
papers  and  citizens  were  no  less  unstinted  in  their 


*Mingling  with  the  song  of  joy,  the  paean  of  praise,  welling  up  from  the 
hearts  of  a  people  who  felt  as  sensibly  as  did  Israel  of  old  after  passing  the 
Bed  Sea,  that  Jehovah  had  delivered  His  people  and  engulfed  their  foes 
could  be  heard  the  clink  of  steel,  the  sound  of  hammer  and  forge,  and  other 
notes  of 'dreadful  preparation/  fashioning  weapons  for  the  coming  conflict,  as 
fully  expected  as  it  was  thoroughly  unfeared  "—Whitney's  History  of  Utah, 
Vol  1.  p.  662. 


134  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

condemnation  of  the  President  and  his  cabinet  for  com- 
pelling the  Saints  to  assume  the  position  they  had  taken, 
and  for  deciding  upon  mere  hearsay  that  they  were  in 
rebellion.  The  President  began  to  see  his  blunder,  and 
seemed  anxious  to  rectify  his  error,  as  far  as  it  could  be 
done  without  the  loss  of  dignity. 

About  this  time  Col.  Kane  visited  Washington, 
offering  his  services  to  President  Buchanan,  as  mediator 
in  the  pending  quarrel,  with  a  view  to  having  the  con- 
troversy peaceably  settled.  This  he  did  upon  request  of 
President  Young,  made  the  summer  before.  The  result 
was  his  appointment  to  Utah,  as  private  envoy  of  the 
Government.  Purely  instigated  by  humanitarian 
motives,  he  departed  to  fill  his  difficult  mission,  sailing 
from  New  York,  January  5th,  1858,  and  arriving  by  way 
of  San  Francisco  in  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  25th  of 
February  following. 

Having  been  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Governor 
Young,  he  stated  his  errand  and  asked  for  a  private 
interview  which  was  granted.  He  learned  that  Governor 
Young  was  willing  as  ever  to  receive  loyally  the  new 
Governor  without  the  army;  but  was  not  willing  that  the 
troops  should  accompany  him  or  be  quartered  in  any 
city  or  settlement  of  the  Territory. 

Alter  a  few  day's  rest,  Col.  Kane  departed'over  the 
deep  snows  to  consult  with  Governor  Cumming  at 
Black's  Fork.  The  new  Governor  was  willing  to  accede 
to  the  arrangements,  convinced  as  he  was  of  the  wisdom 
of  the  embassador's  course;  and  he  therefore  left  with 
Col.  Kane  and  two  servants  for  Salt  Lake  City,  being 
escorted  by  Utah  cavalry  after  leaving  the  federal  lines. 
Arriving  in  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  12th  of  April,  he  was 
there,  as  everywhere  on  the  way,  treated  with  great 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  135 

respect,  and  acknowledged  as  Governor.  This  arrange- 
ment did  not  please  General  Johnston,  who  seemed  de- 
sirous to  fight,  but  the  counsels  of  peace  prevailed  never- 
theless, not  however  '  without  some  trouble  which 
ended  in  lasting  enmity  between  the  Governor  and  the 
General.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  new  Governor,  he  and 
President  Brigham  Young  had  a  very  cordial  meeting, 
and  the  former  was  duly  installed  in  his  new  position. 

His  noble  peace  mission  now  ended,  Col.  Kane 
returned  to  report  his  success  in  Washington.* 

President  Young  had  said  to  Captain  Van  Vliet,  the 
first  Government  representative  who  came  to  Utah  on 
the  war  question,  when  that  official  referred  to  the 
ability  of  the  Government  to  send  enough  re-enforce- 
rn^nts  to  overcome  all  opposition:  "We  are  aware  that 
such  will  be  the  case,  but  when  those  troops  arrive 
they  will  find  Utah  a.  desert. "  There  were  now  two 
reasons  why  the  great  Mormon  leader  was  preparing  to 
keep  his  word:  first,  he  had  no  faith  in  the  promises  of 
the  army:  "You  might  as  well  tell  me  that  you  can 
make  hell  into  a  powder  house  as  to  tell  me  that  they 
intend  to  keep  an  army  here  and  have  peace. " 
Secondly,  he  wished  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
world  to  the  sacrifice  and  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  his 
people,  in  order  to  change  public  opinion  in  their 

*"  Some  years  later  General  Kane, — for  he  was  then  a  General,  having 
been  promoted  for  gallant  service  in  defence  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War, — again  visited  Utah  and  for  several  months  was  the  guest  of  President 
Young.  On  more  than  one  occasion,  in  the  east,  he  valiently  used  pen  and 
tongue  in  behalf  of  the  territory  and  its  people.  His  name  is  a  household 
word  in  a  multitude  of  homes  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  his  pure  example 
of  friendship  and  patriotism  will  ever  burn  brightly,  a  beacon  and  a  guiding 
star,  before  the  eyes  of  Utah's  £ons  and  daughters." — Whitney's  History  of 
Utah.  Vol.  1.,  p.  674. 


136  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

favor.  It  was  indeed  a  marvelous  sight.  Thirty 
thousand  people  about  to  leave  their  homes,  so  dearly 
earned,  with  guards  left  to  fire  them,  if  the  hostile 
army  should  invade  their  land.  It  was  not  long  till 
the  press  of  the  nation  and  of  Europe  saw  their  heroism 
and  devotion,  and  declared  that  sincerity  thus  attested 
is  not  a  thing  to  be  sneered  at.  The  tide  had  turned. 

The  Governorship  was  now  disposed  of.  What 
was  to  be  done  with  the  army?  Evidently  the  Mormons 
thought  it  would  invade  their  cities,  and  hence  the 
move  south.  The  new  Governor  strove  in  vain  to 
induce  the  people  to  remain  and  to  return  to  their 
homes.  Though  he  pled  with  them  as  a  father,  they 
would  not  believe  him  when  he  insisted  that  there  was 
no  longer  any  danger,  and  promised  them  protection. 
Said  President  Young:  "We  know  all  about  it,  Governor. 
We  have  on  just  such  occasions  seen  our  disarmed  men 
hewn  down  in  cold  blood,  our  virgin  daughters  violated, 
our  wives  ravished  to  death  before  our  eyes.  We 
know  all  about  it,  Governor  Gumming. " 

Three  weeks  after  his  arrival  Governor  Gumming 
made  a  report  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  Lewis  M.  Cass 
setting  forth  the  true  condition  of  affairs  in  Utah.  His 
report  gives  the  lie  to  all  the  accusations  of  Judge 
Drummond,  and  he  declared  that  Governor  Young 
"evinced  a  willingness  to  afford  me  every  facility  I  may 
require  for  the  efficient  performance  of  my  administra- 
tive duties."  Referring  to  the  "move,"  he  said:  "The 
people,  including  the  inhabitants  of  this  city,  are  mov- 
ing from  every  settlement  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Territory.  The  roads  are  everywhere  filled  with  wagons 
loaded  with  provisions  and  household  furniture,  the 


THE   LIFE   OF   BBIGHAM   YOUNG.  137 

women  and  children  often  without  shoes  and  hats,  driv- 
ing their  flocks  they  know  not  where.  They  seem  not 
only  resigned  but  cheerful.  'It  is  the  will  of  the  Lord,' 
and  they  rejoice  to  exchange  the  comforts  of  home  for  the 
trials  of  the  wilderness.  Their  ultimate  destination  is 
not,  I  presume,  definitely  fixed  upon.  'Going  south, 
seems  sufficiently  definite  for  the  most  of  them,  but 
many  believe  that  their  ultimate  destination  is  Sonora. 
Young,  Kimball,  and  most  of  the  influential  men  have 
left  their  commodious  mansions  without  apparent  regret, 
to  lengthen  the  long  train  of  wanderers.  The  masses 
everywhere  announce  to  me  that  the  torch  will  be  applied 
to  every  house  indiscriminately  throughout  the  country' 
so  soon  as  the  troops  attempt  to  cross  the  mountains." 

In  the  meantime  a  peace  commission,  sent  by  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  to  treat  with  the  Mormons,  met  with 
President  Young  and  his  associates,  who  had  returned 
from  the  south  to  Salt  Lake  for  that  purpose  on  the 
llth  and  12th  of  June.  These  commissioners  had  a  full 
and  free  pardon  to  offer  to  the  people,  for  past  seditions 
and  treasons.  In  reply,  President  Young  stated  his 
position  as  follows: 

"I  thank  President  Buchanan  for  forgiving  me, 
but  I  really  cannot  tell  what  I  have  done.  I  know  one 
thing,  and  that  is,  that  the  people  called  Mormons  are 
a  loyal  and  law-abiding  people,  and  have  ever  been. 
Neither  President  Buchanan  nor  anv  one  else  can  con- 
tradict the  statement.  It  is  true  Lot  Smith  burned  some 
wagons  containing  government  supplies  for  the  army.  This 
was  an  overt  act,  and  if  it  is  for  this  that  we  are  to  be 
pardoned,  I  accept  the  pardon.  *  *  *  Now  let  me 
say  to  you  Peace  Commissioners,  we  are  willing  those 
troops  should  come  into  our  country,  but  not  to  stay  in 
10 


138  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

our  city.  They  may  pass  through  it,  if  needs  be,  but 
must  not  quarter  less  than  fort}7  miles  from  us.  If  you 
bring  your  troops  here  to  disturb  this  people,  you  have 
got  a  bigger  job  than  you  or  President  Buchanan  have 
any  idea  of.  Before  the  troops  reach  here  this  city  will 
be  in  ashes,  every  tree  and  shrub  will  be  cut  to  the 
ground,  and  every  blade  of  grass  that  will  burn  shall  be 
burned.  Our  wives  and  children  will  go  to  the  canyons, 
and  take  shelter  in  the  mountains,  while  their  husbands 
and  sons  will  fight  you;  and,  as  God  lives,  we  will  hunt 
you  by  night  and  by  day,  until  your  armies  are  wasted 
away.  No  mob  can  live  in  the  homes  we  have  built  in 
these  mountains.  That's  the  program,  gentlemen, 
whether  you  like  it  or  not.  If  you  want  war,  you  can 
have  it;  but  if  you  wish  peace,  peace  it  is;  we  shall  be 
glad  of  it." 

The  army  entered  Salt  Lake  Valley  June  26th, 
deeply  moved  by  the  desolation  which  the}-  witnessed  all 
about  them.  One  month  prior  to  this  time  Mrs.  Gum- 
ming, on  entering  the  city,  was  so  moved  by  the  sight 
that  she  burst  into  tears  of  sympathy  for  the  migrating 
Saints. 

The  troops,  true  to  their  pledge,  preserved  excellent 
order,  and  marched  to  Cedar  Valley,  thirty- six  miles 
south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  where  they  founded  Camp 
Floyd,  and  where  the}7  remained  until  1860,  at  which 
time  the  majority  were  called  to  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico.  During  their  stay,  the  fear  of  Brigham  Young 
was  shown  not  to  be  entirely  groundless,  for  on  several 
occasions  they  showed  their  hatred  to  the  Mormons,  and 
there  were  some  instances  of  gross  misconduct  on  their 
part.  The  Camp  was  abandoned  in  1861,  when  the 
remnant  of  the  soldiers  went  east  to  participate  in  the 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.  139 

Civil  War.  Colonel  Johnston,  who  had  denounced  the 
loyal  Saints  as  rebels,  taking  sides  with  the  South  became 
himself  a  rebel. 

Early  in  July,  1858,  President  Young  and  the  Mormon 
leaders  returned  to  their  homes  followed  later  by  the 
whole  community  who  now  came  back  to  re-inhabit  their 
cities  and  habitations  which  had  been  placed  upon  the 
altar  of  sacrifice  but  this  time  not  required  of  them. 

So  ended  the  Utah  War.  It  was  "an  ill  advised 
measure,"  says  the  historian  Bancroft,  "on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  Government.  The  Utah  War  cost 
several  hundred  lives  and  at  least  $15,000,000  at  a  time  in 
the  nation's  history  when  men  and  money  could  least  be 
spared,  and  accomplished  practically  nothing  save  that  it 
exposed  the  President  and  his  Cabinet  to  much  well- 
deserved  ridicule." 

Through  the  wise  manipulations  and  the  consummate 
strategy  of  President  Young  the  Mormons  won  through 
it  the  respect  and  esteem  of  a  large  portion  of  the  out- 
side world  and  a  thousand  favorable  echoes  from  the 
press  which  recognized  the  bravery  and  patriotism  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Utah. 


9.        BRIGHAM      YOUNG'S    LOYALTY    AND    ENTERPRISE. 

"We  have  always  been  loyal  and  expect  so  to  con- 
tinue," said  the  Mormon  leader  to  the  Peace  Commis- 
sioners. But  notwithstanding  the  assertion  and  the 
practice  as  well,  there  seems  to  have  prevailed  a  contrary 
idea  in  the  minds  of  certain  missionary  judges  and  some 
Governors  who  came  to  "regenerate"  Utah — after  this 
period.  These  would  not  so  consider  the  people  or 


140  THE   LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

their  leader.  Perhaps  their  sentiments  in  this  respect 
grew  out  of  the  fact  that  Brigham  Young  still  continued 
to  be  the  leader  of  the  community  though  he  was  not  the 
Governor  in  a  civil  capacity.  But  it  is  more  likely  that 
their  feelings  were  engendered  by  their  pre-formed  bitter 
prejudice  against  everything  Mormon  and  often  to  hide 
their  own  sins  and  corruption.  But  history  and  facts 
bear  witness  that  the  Saints  were  and  are  law-abiding  and 
loyal. 

General  Johnston  would  not  understand  this.  He 
left  the  Territory  in  March,  1860,  without  ever  having 
seen  President  Young.  Such  a  visit  was  not  worth  his 
time  he  doubtless  considered;  but  many  of  the  army 
officers,  upon  invitation,  paid  their  respects  to  the  great 
colonizer,  and  before  departing  for  the  east  they  presented 
him  with  the  flag-staff  used  at  Camp  Floyd,  a  significant 
sign  of  their  changed  opinions  concerning  his  loyalty. 
The  interesting  memento  of  the  war,  or,  rather  the  happy 
close  of  the  war,  was  used  by  the  President,  at  his  resi- 
dence, many  years  for  floating  the  national  banner. 

The  year  of  the  outbreak  of  the  great  Rebellion 
witnessed  the  people  of  Utah  loyally  celebrating  the  4th 
of  July,  an  expressive  event — indicative  of  their  love  for 
the  Union — since  the  Mormons  were  suspected,  and  even 
accused,  of  favoring  secession,  or  of  desiring  to  establish 
a  separate  nation. 

The  Overland  Telegraph  Line  was  completed  to  Salt 
Lake  City  an  the  17th  of  October,  1861,  and  on  the  18th 
President  Young  was  courteously  tendered  the  first  use  of 
the  wires,  which  he  accepted.  He  congratulated  the 
President  of  the  company,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  upon  the 
completion  of  the  line,  closing  with  these  patriotic  words: 

"Utah  has  not  seceded,  but  is  firm  for  the  Constitu- 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.      .  141 

tion  and  laws  of  our  once  happy  country,  and  is  warmly 
interested  in  such  useful  enterprises  as  the  one  so  far 
completed. " 

Replying,  President  J.  H.  Wade,  of  the  Telegraph 
Company,  said  among  other  things  that  the  message  was 
"in  every  way  gratifying,  not  only  in  the  announcement 
of  the  completion  of  the  Pacific  Telegraph  to  your  enter- 
prising and  prosperous  city,  but  that  yours,  the  first 
message  to  pass  over  the  line,  should  express  so  unmis- 
takably the  patriotism  and  Union-loving  sentiments  of 
yourself  and  people. "  Governor  Frank  Fuller  sent  a 
message  the  same  day  to  President  Abraham  Lincoln, 
who  was  inaugurated  in  March  of  that  year,  showing  that 
he  also  shared  in  the  sentiments  of  the  Saints:  "Utah, 
whose  citizens  strenuously  resist  all  imputations  of  dis- 
loyalty, congratulates  the  President  upon  the  completion 
of  an  enterprise,"  etc.  The  great  Lincoln,  in  behalf  of 
the  Government,  reciprocated  the  congratulations. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  President  Young  sent  the 
first  message  over  the  completed  line  to  San  Francisco. 
Utah  was  now  in  instant  communication  with  the  world. 
A  new  era  was  dawning  upon  the  Saints,  of  which  the 
telegraph  was  the  signal.  Their  leader  saw  that  this  and 
the  inevitable  approach  of  the  railroad,  of  which  the  line 
was  a  forerunner,  would  bring  a  new  and  manifest  destiny 
to  his  people;  but  being  himself  a  man  foreordained  by 
the  Divine  will  to  his  condition,  it  was  not  difficult  for 
Brigham  Young  to  adapt  himself  to  any  change  that 
might  come  by  the  revolution  of  progress.  But  as  in 
other  matters  heretofore, the  path  which  he  marked  out  for 
his  followers  did  not  suit  his  enemies.  Under  the  new 
era,  he  worked  zealously  for  the  welfare  of  the  people  as 
he  had  ever  done  at  any  previous  time.  It  was  in  a  new 


142  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

way,  perhaps,  in  a  way  to  correspond  with  the  altered 
condition  of  affairs,  but  for  their  prosperity  and  happi- 
ness, nevertheless. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1861,  the  Salt  Lake  Theater  was 
opened.  President  Young  was  its  projector  and  owner, 
which  indicates  that  he  was  a  patron  of  and  believer  in 
the  legitimate  amusement.  As  was  the  c^se  with  all  the 
public  edifices  of  that  time,  its  design  bears  the  stamp  of 
his  rare  architectural  genius,  the  prolific  variations  of 
which  are  manifest  no  less  in  the  Temple,  (completed 
April  6th,  1893),  the  Tabernacle  (finished  October,  1867), 
and  other  public  and  private  buildings,  where  it  was  the 
moving  power  of  formation,  than  in  his  own  words  on 
the  subject:  "I  have  built  a  great  many  houses  both  for 
myself  and  for  others.  I  have  never  built  two  houses 
alike,  and  I  do  not  expect  to  in  time  or  eternity,  but  I 
mean  to  improve  every  time  I  begin." 

From  the  completion  of  the  Overland,  or  perhaps 
long  before,  came  the  idea,  to  President  Young,  of  bind- 
ing the  cities  and  towns  of  Utah  together  with  a  local 
telegraph  line.  The  need  was  apparent;  the  settlements 
of  the  Saints  were  extended  in  all  directions.  All  the 
leading  Elders  looked  to  him  for  counsel,  for  advice  in 
everything  that  pertained  both  to  temporal  and  spiritual 
affairs.  Such  a  line  was  projected  in  1861,  but  work 
thereon  was  not  actively  prosecuted  until  1865,  when  a 
circular  was  sent  to  the  leading  Elders,  in  all  parts  of 
the  Territory,  asking  them  to  get  the  poles,  to  gather 
means  for  purchasing  the  wires,  select  the  route,  erect 
the  poles,  find  young  men  to  go  to  Salt  Lake  City  to 
learn  telegraphy.  From  each  settlement,  teams  were 
called  for  to  go  after  the  wire.  The  call  met  with  a 
hearty  response  from  all  quarters.  The  people  went  to 


THE  LIFE  OF  BBIGHAM  YOUNG.  14.3 

work  with  a  will,  and  by  the  fall  of  1866,  sixty-five 
wagons  laden  with  wire  arrived  in  Utah,  and  by  Decem- 
ber 1st  the  line  between  Ogden  and  Salt  Lake  City  was 
completed,  and  the  first  message  sent  over  it  by  Presi- 
dent Young.  By  the  middle  of  January,  1867,  500  miles 
of  wire  had  been  laid  at  a  cost  of  $150.00  per  mile. 
From  that  time  on  offices  were  rapidly  opened  in  all 

I  parts  of  the  Territory.  On  the  23rd  of  October,  1871, 
the  line  was  extended  to  Pioche,  Nevada,  (originally 
included  in  Utah,  and  first  settled  by  the  Mormons)  for 
which  the  thanks  of  the  citizens  were  sent  to  President 
Young  whose  public-spirited  enterprise,  in  placing  them 
in  communication  with  the  outer  world,  made  them  feel 
that  they  had  escaped  from  barbarism  to  civilization. 
The  building  of  this  telegraph  is  a  striking  example  of 
his  ability  to  direct  men  and  their  labors. 

His  enterprise  and  far-sightedness  was  even  more 
fully  exemplified  in  the  building  of  the  Union  Pacific 
and  in-  the  construction  of  local  branch  railways,  a  few 
years  later.  As  early  as  1847,  he  not  only  thought  that 
the  building  of  a  trans-continental  iron-way  was  feasible, 
but  actually  marked  out  the  route  over  which  such  a 
road  would  pass.  That  the  track  of  the  Union  Pacific  is 

.laid,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  on  the  route  that  he 
pioneered,  is  proof  of  his  mind's  comprehensiveness  and 
penetration  on  this  question;  and  that  competent  autho- 
rities have  pronounced  it  the  best  that  could  be  selected 
is  an  evidence  of  his  sound  judgment  in  civil  engineer- 
ing. He  told  Mr.  Reed,  one  of  the  early  exploring 
engineers  of  the  Union  Pacific,  that  the  best  route  for  a 
railroad  would  be  up  the  Platte  River  to  the  junction  of 
the  North  and  South  Platte,  then  up  the  North  Platte 
to  the  Platte  Bridge,  over  the  hills  to  the  Sweetwater  to 


144  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

South  Pass,  through  the  Pass  and  then  by  the  most 
direct  route  to  Green  River,  thence  up  the  Muddy  and 
by  way  of  Bear  River  to  Echo  Canyon,  and  then  down 
the  Weber. 

How  near  he  marked  out  the  future  path  of  the  iron 
steed  across  the  plains,  the  traveler  may  judge  for  himself. 
And  yet  it  must  be  remembered  that  when  he  chose  the 
pioneer  route  he  had  never  crossed  the  country.  In  its 
choice,  as  in  the  selection  of  a  spot  for  the  central  city 
of  his  people,  he  was  led  by  a  Higher  Power  than  he 
himself  possessed,  call  it  intuition,  apprehension,  ready 
insight,  or  by  its  right  name,  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

A  prejudice  existed  in  the  minds  of  some  people  in 
the  east  in  regard  to  the  feelings  of  the  Mormons  and 
their  leader  in  having  a  railroad  pass  through  Utah,  the 
former  asserting  that  the  latter  were  opposed  to  it.  As 
we  have  seen,  however,  the  Mormons  were  the  first, 
long  before  the  project  was  seriously  considered  by 
others,  to  favor  it.  As  a  standing  and  irrefutable 
testimony  that  its  advent  was  desired  by  them  is  the 
fact  that  President  Young  took  a  contract  to  complete 
the  grading  of  the  highway  from  the  head  of  Echo 
Canyon  to  Salt  Lake  Valley.  In  this  contract,  which, 
amounted  to  about  two  and  a  quarter  million  dollars, 
and  from  which  the  distinguished  contractor  is  said  to 
have  realized  about  $800,000.00,  was  included  the  heavy 
stone  work  of  the  bridge  abutments,  and  the  cutting  of 
the  tunnels  in  Weber  Canyon.  Notwithstanding  that 
the  company,  which  was  to  pay  a  certain  per  cent,  of  the 
amount  monthly,  as  the  work  progressed,  failed  at  first 
to  live  up  to  their  promises,  the  contract  was  faithfully 
executed;  and  it  was  acknowledged  by  railroad  men  that 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM    YOUNG.  145 

nowhere  on  the  line  could  the  grading  compare  in  com- 
pleteness and  finish  with  the  work  done  by  the  people  of 
Utah." 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1869,  the  Territory,  gathered 
at  the  City  of  Ogden,  greeted  the  arrival  of  the  iron  horse 
with  shouts  of,  "Utah  bids  you  welcome."  "Hail  to 
the  great  national  highway." 

Two  months  and  two  days  later,  at  Promontory,  on 
the  northern  shore  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  the  last  rail 
was  laid,  the  last  spike  was  driven  that  welded  into  one 
the  Union  and  the  Central  Pacific  Railroads.  The 
American  continent  was  banded  by  a  pathway  of  iron. 
The  guns  boomed  in  the  west,  the  bells  tolled  in  the 
east,  and  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  flashed  the 
joyful  'electric  tidings  of  the  marriage  of  the  two  oceans, 
which  clasped  hands  and  gave  their  nuptial  kiss  in  Utah, 
the  land  of  the  Mormons. 

Only  seven  days  after  this  event,  May  17th,  1869, 
ground  was  broken  near  Ogden  for  the  construction  of 
the  Utah  Central  Railroad.  President  Young  cut  the  first 
sod  with  a  spade,  while  it  is  customary  to  break  ground 
with  a  pick.  He  said  that  he  believed  in  using  the  most 
suitable  tool.  He  was  president  of  the  company,  which 
was  organized  on  March  8th,  1869.  The  road  was  built 
by  the  people,  and  was  purely  a  Mormon  enterprise. 
The  last  spike  was  driven  by  President  Young  on  the 
10th  of  January,  1870,  amid  the  rejoicing  of  thousands  of 
people,  when  he  had  read  an  address,  in  which  he  called 
attention  to  the  poverty  of  the  Saints  on  their  arrival  in 
the  valley,  with  no  friend  save  God,  and  yet  without 
assistance  they  had  built  homes,  cities,  farms,  dug  canals, 
water  ditches,  subdued  the  country,  fed  the  stranger, 
clothed  the  naked,  emigrated  the  poor,  making  them 


146  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

comfortable  and  even  rich,  fed  and  clothed  the  Indians, 
and  now  built  a  railroad.  The  Territory  was  not  the 
first  dollar  in  debt.  "Who  has  helped  us  to  do  all  this? 
I  will  answer  this  question.  It  is  the  Lord  Almighty. 
What  are  the  causes  of  our  success  in  all  this?  Union 
and  oneness  of  purpose  in  the  Lord." 

Rolling  stock  and  material  to  the  value  of  $600,000 
were  obtained  on  account  of  amounts  due  President  Young 
from  the  Union  Pacific,  and  thus  was  the  road  equipped. 
Then  followed  the  building  of  the  Utah  Southern, 
(May,  1871),  and  the  Utah  Northern,  (September  1871,) 
in  the  construction  of  which  the  President  took  a  leading 
and  directing  part. 

The  sagacity  of  President  Brigham  Young  is  made 
plain  in  the  commercial  history  of  Utah.  The  early  pros- 
perity of  commerce  in  the  Territory  may  be  assigned  to  a 
train  of  providential  circumstances.  The  famine  of  1856 
had  left  the  people  almost  destitute,  but  the  establishment 
of  Camp  Floyd  was  a  financial  blessing  to  the  people.  Its 
evactuation  was  the  basis  for  the  "start"  which  the 
merchants  received  in  1861.  At  that  time  over  four 
million  dollars  worth  of  merchandise  was  sold  to  dealers 
for  about  $100,000.00.  Thereafter,  great  progress  was 
made  in  merchandising  and  there  were  merchants  with 
almost  unlimited  credit  in  the  east.  But  all  the  profits 
were  going  to  individuals,  and  it  was  the  spirit  of  the 
Saints  to  be  alike,  to  share  equal,  to  be  in  a  degree 
socialistic.  This  was  the  view  that  the  Prophet  Joseph 
had  taken  in  Kirtland,  which  ended  in  financial  trouble. 
In  material  affairs,  President  Young  could  take  no  other 
view — the  welfare  of  the  whole  people  first,  individuals, 
who  would  necessarily  thrive  with  the  community,  after; 
that  was  the  spirit  of  his  teachings,  and  it  was  not  con- 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  147 

sidered  best  for  individuals  to  engage  in  merchandising 
since  it  tended  to  class  distinction.  The  whole  commun- 
ity were  to  be  equal — trade  was  necessary,  but  it  must 
be  carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  all.  The  President  could 
observe  that  as  the  railroad  approached  great  financial 
and  social  changes  would  take  place.  To  guard  the 
money  interests  of  the  people,  as  well  as  to  insure  their 
temporal  supremacy,  he  saw  that  there  must  be  union  in 
temporal  as  well  as  in  spiritual  things.  Hence  his  an- 
nouncement, early  in  1868,  "that  it  was  advisable  that 
the  people  of  Utah  should  become  their  own  merchants." 

Then  followed  the  organization  of  Zion's  Co-operative 
Mercantile  Institution,  which  began  business  early  in 
1869.  President  Young's  interest  for  the  whole  people 
came  in  contact  with  the  self-interest  of  the  few,  and  this 
came  nearly  causing  a  serious  rupture  with  the  merchants 
of  those  days,  and  was  really  a  leading  cause  of  the 
"Godbeite"  schism  but  the  policy  of  the  leader  tri- 
umphed, and  no  person  today  will  question  the  value  that 
co-operation  has  been  to  the  Mormons,  not  only  in  dollars 
and  cents,  but,  financial  supremacy  and  prestige. 

The  parent  house  of  Z.  C.  M.  I.  in  Salt  Lake  City 
was  organized,  followed  by  the  establishment  of  several 
important  branches,  besides  co-op,  stores  in  nearly  every 
settlement,  some  of  which,  however,  either  through  bad 
management  or  through  the  financial  panic  of  1873 
went  under.  The  parent  institution  has  an  enormous 
trade,*  and  with  kindred  institutions  constitutes  the 


*"That  the  institution  has  met  with  success  in  a  commercial  sense  equal 
to  the  brightest  hopes  of  its  founders  will  not  be  disputed  when  it  is  stated 
that  during  its  twenty-one  years'  existence,  including  the  year  1891,  its  sales 
aggregated  the  enormous  sum  of  $69,146,881.06,  and  that  up  to  the  5th 
of  May,  1892,  it  had  paid  in  cash  and  stock  dividends  $2,059,874.07." 
Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  2.,  p.  293 


148  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

temporal  bulwark  of  the  Mormons.  It  has  helped 
materially  to  preserve  them  as  a  community;  it  has 
earned  for  them  a  financial  influence  abroad,  while  it  has 
maintained  a  uniformity  in  prices,  and  has  been  a  ballast 
to  trade  at  home;  it  has  held  the  money  resources  of  the 
people  within  themselves,  and  in  a  great  measure  it  has 
insured  the  social  unity  of  the  Saints.  Carried  out 
strictly  as  President  Young  intended,  the  idea  would 
have  strengthened  each  of  these  bonds  to  a  much  greater 
degree;  and  today  the  Mormons  would  have  been  more 
on  an  equality,  more  united,  and  a  stronger  and  happier 
community  than  they  are;  though,  even  as  matters  exist, 
their  parallel  in  these  respects,  cannot  be  found  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 


10.        PERSECUTION    AND    ARREST. 

Not  long  at  a  time  was  President  Young  left  in 
peace.  His  days  seem  to  have  been  full  of  persecution. 
The  power  which  he  wielded  over  the  people  did  not 
please  his  enemies,  who  often  constituted  themselves  a 
missionary  band  to  break  it  down.  Of  course,  they 
failed,  but  their  efforts  were  not  without  annoyance  to 
him  at  a  time  when  his  past  splendid  work  should  have 
served  as  a  bulwark  of  peace  to  him. 

The  anti-polygamy  law,  passed  by  Congress  in  1862, 
was  considered  unconstitutional  by  the  Saints  After 
they  had  made  every  effort  to  prove  it  so,  it  was  finally 
decided  by  the  highest  authority  in  the  land  that  it  was 
in  accord  with  the  Constitution,  when,  as  we  have  seen, 
the  practice  of  polygamy  was  suspended  by  them.  As 
early  as  1863  there  was  an  effort  made  to  arrest  the 


THE   LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  149 

President  on  the  charge  of  violating  the  law  of  1862. 
Governor  Harding,  aided  by  the  federal  judges,  at  that 
time  began  his  raid  upon  the  people  and  their  institution 
of  marriage.  His  career,  however,  was  soon  cut  short 
by  removal,  owing  to  the  friendly  attitude  of  President 
Lincoln,  who  was  a  believer  in  the  policy  of  letting  the 
Mormons  alone. 

Early  in  the  fall  of  1862  Colonel  Connor  had  come 
to  Utah  from  California  with  several  hundred  troops, 
purposely  to  protect  the  mail  route  over  the  plains,  but 
upon  arrival  he  discovered  that  this  had  already  been 
done  by  Mormon  volunteers,  for  whom  the  Government 
had  called  on  President  Young;  he  found,  thereupon, 
that  his  mission  was  to  watch  and  overawe  the  Mor- 
mon people,  the  loyalty  of  whose  leaders  the  Secretary  of 
war  had  discovered  some  pretext  for  doubting.  The 
Colonel  had  about  700  men,  who  had  enlisted  to  fight 
Southern  rebels.  He  founded  Camp  Douglas,  and  is 
credited  with  being  the  "father  of  Utah  mining."  He 
did  some  good  service  with  his  troops  in  fighting  Indians 
on  Bear  River.  His  presence  in  the  Territory  seems  to 
have  inspired  Governor  Harding  to  change  his  friendly 
policy  towards  the  Mormons.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
Colonel  Connor,  who  years  after  became  very  friendly 
towards  President  Young,  offering  at  one  time  to  go  his 
bail  for  a  million  dollars,  was  at  this  time  in  sympathy 
with  the  Governor,  and  now  that  there  was  talk  of 
arresting  the  President,  there  were  also  rumors  of  the 
troops  capturing  him  "to  run  him  off  to  the  States  for 
trial."  This  caused  him  to  have  armed  guards  about 
his  home,  and  likewise  engendered  a  very  bitter  feeling 
between  the  citizens  and  the  soldiery,  so  much  so  that  a 
collision  at  one  time  seemed  imminent.  To  avoid  this, 


150  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

President  Young,  at  the  proper  time,  permitted  himself 
to  be  taken  before  Justice  Kinney,  where  he  was  bound 
over.  The  grand  jury  failed  to  indict,  owing  to  lack  of 
evidence,  and  thus  ended  that  trouble,  not,  however, 
without  creating  rumors  in  the  east  of  another  Utah  war. 

The  part  that  the  Governor  took  caused  his  dis- 
missal, and  for  this  President  Lincoln  gained  the  lasting 
friendship  of  the  Mormon  people. 

A  period  of  political  peace  and  good  feeling  now 
followed,  broken  only  by  the  desire  of  Colonel  Connor  to 
establish  a  military  in  lieu  of  a  civil  government  in 
Utah,  a  scheme  that  utterly  failed,  and  was  followed  by 
kind  sentiments  between  the  citizens  and  soldiers. 

President  Lincoln  died  on  the  14th  of  April,  1865, 
and  the  Mormons  mourned  the  loss  of  the  best  friend 
they  have  ever  had  in  the  nation's  presidential  chair. 
Solemn  public  services  were  held  in  the  Tabernacle  on 
the  day  of  the  beloved  leader's  interment.  New  difficul- 
ties now  arose,  or  were  about  to  arise. 

In  the  summer  of  1865,  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  visited  Utah. 
He  was  tendered  a  cordial  reception  and  demonstration 
of  welcome  in  Salt  Lake  City.  During  his  stay  he  had 
an  interview  with  President  Young,  in  which  the  subject 
of  polygamy  came  up  for  consideration.  Mr.  Colfax 
hoped  that  the  system  would  be  abandoned,  that  the 
Church  would  receive  a  new  revelation  putting  a  stop  to 
the  practice.  In  such  an  event  Utah  would  be  admitted 
as  a  State  of  the  Union,  otherwise  no  such  admission 
was  possible.  This  was  his  friendly  advice,  repeated  to 
the  public. 

President  Young  defended  the  system  from  the  scrip- 
tures, maintaining  it  was  not  only  biblical,  "but  had, 


THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  151 

within  proper  limits,  a  sound  moral  and  philosophical 
reason  and  propriety."  The  discussion  between  them 
"was  general  and  sharp,  though  very  good  natured. "  ,•'.. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday,  and.  the  President 
had  consented  to  preach  in  the  bowery  before  his  visitors, 
on  the  "Distinct  Doctrines  of  Mormonism."  This  he 
did.  The  speech  did  not  please  the  Colfax  party,  nor  in 
fact  the  people,  for  it  was  a  failure  for  some  cause.  Judg- 
ing from  the  speech,  the  literary  man  of  the  party,  Mr. 
Bowles,  a  Boston  journalist,  concluded  that  while  Brig- 
ham  Young  was  "a  shrewd  business  man,  an  able  organ- 
izer of  labor,  a  bold,  brave  person  in  dealing  with  all 
the  practicalities  of  life,"  he  was  "in  no  sense  an 
impressive  or  effective  speaker. "  In  the  latter  judgment, 
the  critic  was  mistaken,  for  President  Young  was  really 
"an  effective  and  impressive  speaker"  on  most  occasions, 
but  this  time  he  was  not  half  himself.  Burton  having 
heard  him  on  one  occasion,  in  his  "City  of  the  Saints" 
testifies  of  this:  "The  discourse  began  slowly,  word 
crept  titubantly  after  word,  and  the  opening  phrases  were 
hardly  audible;  but  as  the  orator  warmed,  his  voice 
rose  high  and  sonorous,  and  a  .fluency  so  remarkable 
succeeded  falter  and  hesitation,  that  although  the 
phenomenon  is  not  rare  in  strong  speakers  the  latter 
seemed  almost  to  have  been  a  work^of  art.  The  manner 
was  pleasing  and  animated,  and  the  matter  fluent,  im- 
promptu, and  well  turned,  spoken  rather  than  preached. 
The  gestures  were  easy  and  rounded, 
not  without  a  certain  grace,  though  evidently  untaught." 

The  Colfax  party  left  for  the  west  on  June  19th.  The 
result  of  their  visit  was  a  better  understanding  of  the 
Mormons,  with  whom  they  were  well  pleased  in  all 
respects,  save  -in  their  practice  of  polygamy,  with  which 


152  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

they  were  deeply  disgusted.  The  Speaker's  determina- 
tion as  to  the  stand  which  the  government  should  take 
against  it  found  vigorous  administrative  effect  when 
later  he  became  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  close  and  confidential  adviser  of  the  great  warrior 
President,  Ulysses  S.  Grant.  To  this  visit,  and  the  deter- 
mination formed,  may  be  traced  the  beginning  of  the 
judicial  persecution  that  came  upon  President  Young  and 
his  people  in  1870-1-2-3-4-5,  not  to  say  the  inhuman 
feeling  that  nearly  resulted  in  determining  the  adminis- 
tration to  send  the  army  to  Utah,  to  sweep  the  practice 
away  by  the  bayonet. 

President  Grant  was  inaugurated  on  March  4th,  1869, 
and  the  policy  to  let  the  Mormons  alone  was  from  now 
on  abandoned  by  the  administration.  Having  settled  the 
slavery  question,  the  President  determined  to  solve  the 
Mormon  problem,  termed  the  "twin  relic,"  by  special 
legislation  and  judicial  machinery,  or,  these  failing,  by  the 
sword  as  the  first  had  been  determined.  There  were 
persons  who  were  responsible  for  his  unfriendliness  to  the 
Saints,  first  among  whom  was  Vice-President  Colfax, 
whose  advice  to  abandon  polygamy,  given  some  years 
previously,  the  Saints  had  not  heeded;  secondly,  the 
Rev.  J.  P.  Newman,  a  Methodist  minister,  the  so-called 
intellectual  warrior  Chaplain  of  the  Senate,  who  came 
from  Washington  to  discuss  polygamy  with  the  Mormon 
leader;  and  thirdly,  the  establishment,  in  1870,  of  the 
Liberal  Party  in  Utah,  the  misrepresentations  of  which 
backed  the  agitations  and  designs  of  the  others. 

Vice-President  Colfax  once  more  visited  Utah,  in 
1869,  but  declined  the  hospitality  of  the  people.  Evi- 
dently, he  came  to  view  the  field  once  more  before 


THE  LIFE  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG.  153 

beginning  vigorous  action,  before  deciding  whether  to  let 
the  courts,  officered  by  bitter  foes  to  the  Mormons,  or  the 
army,  with  their  bayonets,  decide  the  fate  of  the  Saints. 
It  was  about- this  time  that  the  Godbeite,  or  "new 
movement"  began  in  Salt  Lake  City.  A  number  of 
disaffected  Mormons  began  to  oppose  President  Young, 
and  what  they  termed  his  "one  man  power,"  his  temporal 
leanings,  exemplified  in  the  organization  of  Z.  C.  M.  I., 
the  building  of  railroads  and  other  secular  enterprises. 
These  Elders  were  at  length  excommunicated,  and  their 
withdrawal  threatened  a  dangerous  schism  in  the  Church. 
Mr.  Colfax,  whose  visit  occurred  about  three  weeks 
prior  to  the  excommunication,  heard  of  the  prospective 
schism,  and  considered  it  a  good  sign;  he  therefore 
took  pains  to  meet  with  the  leaders  of  the  movement, 
and  it  is  maintained  by  them  that  the  answer  which 
Mr.  Stenhouse,  one  of  the  heretics,  gave  to  the  Vice- 
President's  question:  "Will  Brigham  Young  fight?" 
averted  another  Mormon  war,  or  at  least  tempered  the 
spirit  of  the  Vice-President  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
decided  that  the  Government  should  foster  the  schism, 
and  let  it  take  the  place  of  the  army  for  the  present. 
Mr.  Stenhouse's  answer  was:  "For  God's  sake,  Mr. 
Colfax,  keep  the  United  States  off."  The  seceding 
Mormon  Elders  asked  to  be  let  alone  to  solve  the 
problem,  with  the  countenance  and  favor  of  the  Govern- 
ment. "But  this  very  movement  against  the  parent 
Church,"  says  the  Historian  Tullidge,  "composed  of 
Apostate  Mormon  Elders  and  leading  Salt  Lake  mer- 
chants, prevented  the  interposition  of  the  military  arm., 
and  greatly  changed  and  modified  the  original  intentions 
of  the  Government,  as  inspired  by  Vice-President 
Colfax,  and  determined  by  President  Grant." 


154  THE   LIFE   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

From  this  new  movement  grew  in  time  the  Liberal 
Party,  a  party  composed  entirely  of  non-Moromns  and 
apostates,  whose  bitter  and  unscrupulous  warfare  against 
the  Saints  is  almost  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of 
political  strife.  Only  the  calm  and  cool  judgment  of 
President  Young  and  the  patience  and  self-control  of 
the  Mormons,  averted  a  bloody  and  disastrous  conflict. 
The  troubles  which  the  members  of  this  party,  always 
aided  by  conspirators  at  the  seat  of  Government,  were 
enabled  to  bring  upon  the  whole  people,  will  some  day 
appear  as  one  of  the  strangest  chapters  in  our  national 
history. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  visit  of  Mr.  Colfax  that 
the  Cragun  and  Cullom  bills  were  introduced  into  Con- 
gress, but  their  animus  over-reached  itself,  and  on  this 
account,  as  well  as  a  visit  of  Mr.  Godbe,  the  leader  of 
the  "new  movement,"  to  President  Grant  and  Senator 
Cullom,  they  failed  of  passage. 

Then  followed  Dr.  Newman's  evangelical  crusade, 
his  correspondence  with  President  Young,  in  which  the 
latter's  tact  and  intelligence,  as  well  as  superiority,  is 
beautifully  illustrated,  and  the  Doctor's  defeat  by 
Apostle  Pratt.  The  whole  had  the  effect  of  setting  the 
minister  more  than  ever  against  the  Mormons;  and  since 
he  was  a  dear,  personal  friend  of  President  Grant,  the 
reverend  gentleman  did  much  to  promote  the  bitter 
judicial  crusade  against  the  Saints  that  followed. 

The  Grant-Colfax  administration,  as  stated,  now 
decided  to  abandon  to  some  extent  the  proposed  military 
subjugation  of  the  Territory,  but  to  go  to  war  in  deadly 
earnest  against  Mormonism  through  appointed  federal 
officers.  To  begin  with  the  proper  men  were  found  in 
J.  Wilson  Shaffer,  and  Chief  Justice  James  B.  McKean 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  155 

the  most  determined  foes  that  Utah  ever  had.  Their 
mission  was  not  alone  to  depose  Brigham  Young,  but  it 
was  to  overthrow  Mormonism,  "a  mission,"  Judge 
McKean  is  said  to  have  remarked,  "as  high  above  my 
mere  duty  as  judge  as  heaven  is  above  the  earth."  Says 
the  historian  Whitney:  "They  not  only  strained  every 
energy  of  their  souls,  every  function  of  their  offices  and 
every  power  of  the  law,  but  where  the  law  fell  short  they 
eked  it  out  with  legislation  of  their  own,  usurping 
powers  and  functions  that  did  not  pertain  to  their 
offices,  and  by  acting  as  arbitrary  despots  covered  them- 
selves and  the  cause  they  represented  with  more  or  less 
reproach.  These  facts  were  apparent  not  only  to  the 
Mormons,  but  to  many  Gentiles  as  well.  We  speak 
more  particularly  of  Judge  McKean,  whose  career  in 
Utah  was  much  the  longer." 

The  administration  sent  out  soldiers  to  act  as  a 
"moral  force"  in  the  protection  of  Gentiles  and 
apostates,  and  so  that  the  "oppressed"  might  find  a 
shield.  Camp  Rawlins,  near  Provo,  was  thus  formed. 

The  first  move  on  the  part  of  the  Governor  was  to 
forbid  the  muster  of  the  territorial  militia,  he  being,  by 
virtue  of  his  office,  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Nauvoo 
Legion.  Without  authority  of  the  Legislature  and  con- 
trary to  law,  the  Governor  took  it  upon  himself,  also, 
to  dismiss  Lieutenant-General  Daniel  H.  Wells,  and 
appoint  P.  E.  Connor  Major-General  of  the  militia  of 
Utah.  Then  he  issued  a  proclamation  disarming  and 
practically  disbanding  the  Mormon  militia.  He  was 
carrying  out  his  threat  to  depose  President  Young  as 
Governor  de facto  of  Utah.  He  had  said  upon  arriving: 
"Never  after  me  shall  it  be  said  that  Brigham  Young  is 
Governor  of  Utah."  He  considered  that  the  Mormon 


156  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

militia,  instead  of  being  under  the  control  of  the  Gover- 
nor, was  under  the  authority  of  the  Church  or  Brigham 
Young,  hence  his  attack.  The  Provo  riot  and  other 
unlawful  acts  followed,  so  that  a  constant  agitation  was 
continued. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1870,  the  Governor  died, 
but  his  successors  followed  in  his  footsteps.  In  the 
summer  of  1871  George  L.  Woods  became  Governor. 
He  pursued  the  same  policy  as  his  predecessors  towards 
the  militia.  The  acting  Governor  under  him,  Secretary 
Black,  commanded  "that  all  persons  except  United 
States  troops  desist  from  participating  in  or  attempting 
to  participate  in  any  military  drill,  muster  or  parade,  of 
any  kind,  at  any  place  within  said  territory,  from  and 
after  this  date  (June  30.  1871),  or  until  it  shall  be  other- 
wise ordered  and  commanded  by  the  Governor  and  Com- 
mander in  Chief  of  the  militia  of  the  Territory  of  Utah." 
The  command  was  brought  out  from  the  fact  that  some 
of  the  militia  were  asked  to  participate  in  a  Fourth  of 
July  celebration,  which  was  thus  forbidden  them. 

Judge  McKean  had  not  failed  to  fill  his  part  of  the 
program,  and  the  disbanding  of  the  militia  was  but  a 
prelude,  doubtless  considered  necessary  for  safety,  to 
the  judicial  invasion  of  the  people's  rights  brought 
about  by  his  high-handed  acts.  He  made  the  dead 
Cullom  bill  his  guide  and  law,  disgracing  his  office  "in 
a  manner  to  which  the  world  can  furnish  no  parallel," 
until  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  reversed 
his  decisions.*  At  length  every  step  was  ready  for  the 


*  In  reviewing  Jtidge  McKean's  administration,  George  Caesar  Bates,  Esq., 
United  States  District  Attorney  for  Utah,  says:  "Appointed  through  the 
Jesuitical  influence  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  sustained  by  the  combined 
bigotry  of  the  land,  his  downfall  only  came  through  the  sheer  recklessness 
of  his  despotic  and  brutal  career. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM    YOUNG.  157 

consummation  of  the  climatic  act  of  the  Judge's  ambi- 
tion— the  indictment,  arrest  and  trial  of  President  Brig- 
ham  Young.  He,  with  other  leading  Mormons,  was  to 
be  tried,  not  for  polygamy  under  the  Congressional  act 
of  1862,  but  for  lewd  and  lascivious  cohabitation  under  a 
territorial  law  which  he,  himself,  as  Governor,  had 
approved,  and  which,  of  course,  was  never  intended  to 
apply  to  plural  marriages. 

The  Utah  Penitentiary,  a  Territorial  institution,  was 
taken  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States 
Marshal.  Jurors  for  the  fall  term  of  the  Third  District 
Court  had  been  chosen — in  an  illegal  way,  be  it  said — 
no  Mormons  being  admitted.  Everything  being  thus  in 
readiness  even  the  "moral  force"  of  the  army  was  not 
lacking.  President  Young  was  arrested  on  Monday, 
October  2nd,  1871.  He  was  ill  at  the  time,  and  could 
not  leave  his  home,  hence,  through  the  kindness  of  the 
Marshal,  he  was  allowed  to  remain  there,  being  per- 
mitted to  answer  to  the  call  of  the  court  as  soon  as  he 
was  able.  He  appeared  on  the  9th,  and  was  admitted 
to  bail  in  the  sum  of  $5,000.00.*  Defendant's  counsel 


"  A  careful  search  of  the  records  will  reveal  how,  through  such  instru- 
mentalities as  those  of  packed  grand  and  petit  juries,  a  corrupt  judge,  a  pre- 
tended United  States  District  Attorney,  appointed  by  that  judge,  and  the 
states  evidence  of  an  atrocious  murderer,  who  purchased  his  own  imm.mity 
from  justice  by  his  perjury,  it  was  intended  to  consummate  the  judicial 
murder  of  Brigham  Young,  Mayor  Wells,  of  Salt.  Lake  City,  Hosea  Stout, 
Joseph  A.  Young  and  other  leading  Mormons,  on  charges  the  most  absurd 
and  untrue."  t 

*0f  his  appearance,  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  his  bitterest  enemy,  said  : 
11  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  made  several  very  good  points  yesterday.  His  being  there 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  Judge  McKean,  patiently  waiting  his  coming, 
was  very  wisely  arranged  and  looked  well  on  an  occasion  which  ope«s  a 


158  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

plead  that  "he  can  only  be  indicted  for  the  crime  afore- 
said by  a  Grand  Jury  duly  selected,  drawn,  summoned 
and  impaneled  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Territory  of 
Utah.  That  said  Grand  Jury,  by  whom  said  pretended 
indictment  was  found,  was  not  drawn  according  to  said 
law;  but  an  open  venire  was  issued." 

A  motion  was  made  to  quash  the  indictment  on  the 
ground  that  it  contained  sixteen  counts  for  the  same 
offense.  Then  came  arguments  pro  and  con  which  con- 
tinued for  several  days,  when  Judge  McKean  finally 
rendered  a  decision  on  the  various  points  in  question,  a 
decision  that  created  a  profound  sensation.  Why? 
Because  in  it  was  this  extraordinary  announcement:  "It 
is  therefore  proper  to  say,  that  while  the  case  at  bar  is 
called  The  People  vs.  Brigham  Young,  its  other  and  real 
title  is,  Federal  Authority  vs.  Polygamic  Theocracy." 

So  it  seemed  that  notwithstanding  the  complaint,  he 
was  arrested  not  for  unlawful  cohabitation — not  for  a 
personal  crime,  but  for  polygamy,  the  grand  offense  of 
the  whole  people,  and  yet  he  was  to  be  tried  under  a 
law  for  adultery.  "In  short,"  says  the  Historian  Whitney, 
"instead  of  an  action  brought  by  the  public  prosecutor 
against  Brigham  Young,  as  a  person,  it  was,  according 


series  of  circumstances  destined  to  form  a  chapter  of  history.  His  appearance 
in  court  too — his  Jquietude,  and  an  altogether  seeming  absence  of  a  spirit 
chafing  with  rage  at  being  brought  to  trial,  evidently  made  a  good  impression. 
*  *  *  It  is  evident  that  President  Young  thus  coming  to  court,  and 
his  resolution  to  abide  every  trial,  and  contest  the  charges  brought  against 
him,  constitutionally  through  his  counsel,  was  the  very  wisest  course  he 
could  have  taken.  *  *  *  Perhaps  there  was  more  respect  and 
sympathy  felt  for  Brigham  Young  wl.en  he  left  the  court  room,  feeble  and 
tottering  from  his  recent  illness,  having  respectfully  sat  in  the  presence  of  his 
judge  three-quarters  of  an  hour  after  bail  had  been  taken,  than  ever  there 
was  before  in  the  minds  of  the  same  men." 


THE   LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG.  159 

to  Judge  McKean,  a  crusade  inaugurated  by  the  United 
States  Government  against  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  It  was  this  that  created  the  sensa- 
tion; and  not  only  in  Utah  among  the  Mormons,  but  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  the  extraordinary  language  of 
the  Chief  Justice  was  commented  upon  and  severely 
criticised." 

On  October  16th,  the  defendant  having  plead  not 
guilty,  further  proceedings  were  postponed  to  give  both 
sides  an  opportunity  to  prepare.  It  was  understood  the 
case  would  not  be  called  up  before  the  following  March 
term.  In  the  meantime  other  indictments  charging  lead- 
ing Mormons  with  murder,  were  ground  out  by  the  grand 
jury,  on  the  false  testimony  of  the  notorious  Bill  Hick- 
man.  Daniel  H.  Wells  was  thus  arrested.  President 
Young  was  indicted  under  this  charge,  on  the  28th  of 
October,  but  he  departed  for  his  yearly  visit  to  Southern 
Utah  soon  thereafter  and  was  therefore  not  arrested. 
He  was  accused  of  being  accessory  to  the  murder  of  one 
Richard  Yeates,  November  15,  1857,  during  the 
"Buchanan  War." 

When  he  left  Salt  Lake  City,  first  obtaining  the 
counsel  of  his  attorneys,  for  the  south,  he  was  not  aware 
of  this  indictment,  which  had  secretly  lain  in  the  Judge's 
pocket  for  a  month,  and  departed  expecting  to  return  in 
time  to  answer  to  the  charge  of  lascivious  cohabitation 
in  March.  Consequently  it  was  a  matter  of  grave  sur- 
prise to  all  when,  on  the  20th  of  November,  his  case  was 
suddenly  called  for  hearing.  His  attorney  asked  for  a 
postponement,  basing  his  request  on  the  promise  of  the 
court  implying  a  grant  of  time  until  the  opening  of  the 
March  term.  The  prosecuting  attorney  wished  to  proceed, 
however,  and  finally  persisted  in  demanding  a  forfeiture 


160  THE    LIFE   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG. 

of  the  bond,  notwithstanding  counsel  for  defense  declared 
he  would  be  ready  for  trial  on  reasonable  notice.  The 
prosecuting  attorney  argued  that  the  defendant  had 
absconded,  intimating  that  it  was  owing  to  the  murder 
indictment.  He  then  demanded  the  forfeiture  of  the  bond 
as  a  legal  right.  At  last  it  was  agreed  to  set  the  time  for 
hearing  for  December  4th. 

Meanwhile  it  was  published  throughout  the  land  that 
President  Young  had  fled  from  justice,  and  extravagant 
tales  were  told  of  his  conduct  and  whereabouts,  that 
evidently  being  the  object  of  calling  the  case  so  early  and 
suddenly. 

On  the  day  set  for  the  trial,  a  new  district  attorney, 
Mr.  Bates,  was  present  and  took  his  oath  of  office.  The 
case  was  brought  up,  but  the  defendant  not  being  present, 
it  was  decided  to  re-call  and  press  it  for  trial  on  the  9th 
of  January. 

President  Young,  hearing  that  he  had  been  indicted, 
came  frorr.  St.  George,  of  his  own  accord,  and  without 
warning,  to  answer  to  the  charges,  appearing  before  the 
Judge,  in  court,  on  the  2nd  day  of  January,  1872.  His 
accuser  were  greatly  surprised,  it  is  said,  at  the  sudden 
return  of  the  alleged  fugitive  from  justice;  their  surprise, 
however,  was  more  in  the  nature  of  a  disappointment. 
Their  object  in  making  themselves  and  the  nation 
believe  that  he  had  fled,  was  of  course  to  call  in  question 
his  courage  and  honor,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing, 
•not  to  the  desired  extent,  in  certain  quarters.  But  here 
he  stood,  the  lion  of  the  hour,  to  confound  his  enemies, 
and  their  wicked  aspersions  upon  his  noble  character. 
He  "had  returned  to  surrender  himself  to  his  persecutors, 
to  face  in  open  court  his  accusers  and  stand  trial  before 
a  biased  judge  and  a  hostile  jury  upon  the  charges  that 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  161 

had  been  laid  at  his  door.  Yes,  it  was  even  so;  in  spite 
of  every  prediction  and  expectation  of  his  enemies  to  the 
contrary,  the  Mormon  leader  had  come  back,  as  he  in- 
tended doing  when  he  departed;  though  his  return,  in 
order  to  redeem  his  pledge,  to  relieve  his  bondsmen,  and 
to  honor  the  requisition  of  the  law,  was  fully  two  months 
earlier  than  he  had  anticipated  at  starting.  Nearly  400 
miles  in  mid-winter,  traveling  almost  the  entire  distance 
by  team,  through  mud  and  sleet,  through  frost  and  snow 
and  winter's  biting  blasts,  he  had  come  to  confront  and 
confound  his  foes." 

His  attorney  asked  that  he  be  admitted  to  bail,  to 
which  the  U.  S.  Attorney  replied  that  it  was  left  with 
the  discretion  of  the  court,  but  if  bail  were  accepted,  he 
(the  attorney)  would  ask  that  it  be  fixed  at  $500,000.00. 
This  amount  was  $400,000.00  more  than  was  required  of 
Jefferson  Davis,  by  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States, 
for  the  high  crime  of  treason,  and  President  Young's 
attorney  protested. 

Judge  McKean  gave  his  decision,  in  which  he  said: 
The  defendant  now  at  the  bar  is  reputed  to  be  the  owner 
of  several  houses  in  this  city.  If  he  shall  choose  to  put 
under  the  control  of  the  Marshal  some  suitable  building 
in  which  to  be  detained,  it  will  be  for  the  Marshal  to 
decide  whether  or  not  he  will  accept  it.  It  is  at  the 
option  of  the  defendant  to  say  whether  or  not  he  will 
make  such  an  offer,  and  equally  at  the  option  of  the 
Marshal  to  say  whether  or  not  he  will  accept  it.  In  any 
event,  where  or  however  the  defendant  may  be  detained, 
the  Marshal  will  look  to  it  that  his  every  comfort  be  pro- 
vided for,  remembering  that  the  defendant  is  an  old  man. 
I  decline  to  admit  the  defendant  to  bail." 

In    charge  of    the  U.     S.    Marshal,    President    Young 


162  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

passed  out  greeted  on  every  hand  by  the  mulititude  who 
pressed  forward  to  see  the  noble  veteran,  or  grasp  his 
hand  in  friendly  sympathy.  The  Marshal  permitted  him  to 
remain  a  prisoner  in  his  own  home,  where  he  was  guarded 
by  deputies,  treated  with  due  courtesy,  and  permitted 
every  reasonable  comfort. 

On  January  9th,  the  day  set  for  the  trial,  the  U.  S. 
District  Attorney,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Attorney 
General,  asked  for  a  continuance  of  all  court  business, 
because  there  was  no  money  to  carry  on  the  work.  The 
court  accordingly  ordered  all  criminal  and  civil  causes, 
that  were  to  be  tried  before  juries,  continued  until  the 
second  Monday  in  March. 

The  charges  never  came  to  trial.  Before  President 
Young's  cases  were  reached,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
country,  in  the  famous  Englebrecht  liquor  case,  decided, 
April  15th,  1872,  that  the  jury  in  that  case  "was  not 
selected  and  summoned  in  conformity  with  law. "  This 
applied  to  nearly  all  other  cases  which  Judge  McKean 
and  the  crusaders  had  busied  themselves  with  for  the 
past  twenty  months.  On  the  80th  of  April,  the  assistant 
district  attorney  of  the  Third  District  Court  moved  the 
release  of  all  persons  held  under  indictments  found  by 
grand  juries  impaneled  under  the  illegal  method.  This 
was  granted.  President  Young  was  previously,  on 
April  25th,  given  his  freedom,  on  a  writ  of  habeas  cor- 
pus before  Judge  Elias  Smith  of  the  Probate  Court  of 
Salt  Lake  County. 

Thus  ended  these  indictments  against  the  Mormon 
leader,  to  the  great  chagrin  and  dishonor  of  his  enemies. 


THE   LIFE   OF   BBIGHAM    YOUNG.  163 

11.        ONE    DAY    IN    THE    PENITENTIARY. 

But  Judge  McKean  still  seemed  determined  to  wreak 
his  vengeance  on  the  Founder  of  Utah.  The  opportunity 
offered  itself,  but  it  cost  the  Judge  his  place.  It  pro- 
voked his  own  doom. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  1873,  the  famous  Ann  Eliza 
Webb  Young,  the  alleged  "nineteenth"  wife  of  President 
Young,  planted  a  divorce  suit  in  Judge  McKean's  court. 
She  set  forth  that  defendant,  Brigham  Young,  was  in 
receipt  of  an  income  of  about  $40,000.00  per  month,  and 
asked  that  $1,000.00  per  month  be  set  aside  for  her 
support.  The  case  remained  in  court  for  nineteen 
months,  when,  on  February  25th,  1875,  the  Judge 
directed  that  defendant  pay  the  plaintiff  $3,000.00  to  aid 
in  prosecuting  her  suit  for  divorce,  and  that  he  also  pay 
her  the  further  sum  of  $500.00  per  month  for  the  main- 
tenance of  herself  and  her  two  children,  to  begin  from  the 
date  of  the  filing  of  the  complaint.  Ten  days  were 
given  the  defendant  to  pay  the  first  amount,  and  twenty 
days  in  which  to  pay  the  accumulated  alimony,  amounting 
now  to  $9,500.00.  The  defendant  hesitated  in  complying 
with  the  order,  appealing  to  the  Supreme  Court. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  time,  plaintiff's  counsel  ob- 
tained an  order  of  attachment  requiring  the  defendant  to 
come  into  court  and  show  cause  why  he  should  not  be 
punished  for  contempt.  On  the  llth  of  March,  President 
Young  appeared  personally  to  make  answer.  Through 
his  attorney,  he  disclaimed  all  intention  to  disregard  or 
treat  contemptuously  the  order  of  the  court,  and  prayed 
to  be  discharged  until  the  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court 
had  been  determined.  His  counsel  also  asked  that  de- 
fendant, being  in  poor  health,  might  be  pormitted  to 


164  THE    LIFE    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

• 

withdraw,  on  his  own  recognizance  or  on  a  bond,  while 
the  arguments  were  being  heard.  This  the  Judge 
refused,  because  he  desired,  evidently  that  the  victim  of 
his  foreordained  program  should  be  present  when  the 
issue  came.  After  the  arguments,  which,  with  the  pre- 
liminaries, lasted  three  hours,  the  Judge  delivered  his 
decision  adjudging  the  defendant  guilty  of  contempt, 
inflicting  a  fine  of  $25.00,  and  ordering  him  to  be  im- 
prisoned twenty-four  hours. 

After  the  rendering  of  the  decision  the  $3,000.00 
was  paid  to  the  plaintiff's  counsel,  and  the  unparalleled 
outrage  of  sending  the  defendant  to  prison  was  indig- 
nantly, but  without  demonstration,  witnessed  by  the 
excited  citizens. 

The  imprisonment  of  a  man  seventy-four  years  of 
age,  in  ill  health,  for  an  offense  which  was  not  intended, 
and  under  a  decision  subsequently  determined  to  be 
illegal,  was  pronounced  by  all,  regardless  of  party,  as  a 
mean,  unmagnanimous  act.  But  the  Judge  evidently 
wished  to  humiliate  the  man  he  hated.  In  this  he  failed, 
for  President  Young,  with  the  calm  dignity  so  character- 
istic of  him,  maintained  his  composure,  was  not  in  the 
least  disconcerted,  nor  in  the  slightest  uneasy  or  excited. 
With  a  quiet  demeanor,  indicating  his  superiority,  he 
left  the  court  in  custody  of  an  officer,  drove  to  his 
residence,  ate  his  dinner,  supplied  himself  with  bedding, 
and  was  then  conveyed,  accompanied  by  many  friends, 
through  a  heavy  storm,  to  the  penitentiary.  Here  he 
was  at  first  placed  with  thieves  and  criminals,  but  after- 
wards given  a  private  room  where  he  passed  the  night 
in  comparative  comfort.  Next  day,  March  12th,  he  was 
liberated  and  escorted  to  the  city  amid  a  multitude  of 
friends. 


THE    LIFE   OF   BKIGHAM   YOUNG.  165 

The  press  of  the  country  strongly  condemned  the  act 
6f  Judge  McKean.  He  had  been  prosecuting  polygamists 
for  adultery,  and  now,  by  his  decision  in  this  case,  he 
acknowledged  a  polygamous  marriage  as  legal,  by  grant- 
ing alimony.  It  was  more  than  even  the  administration, 
which  should  have  removed  the  Judge  when  the  Supreme 
Court  checked  his  former  illegal  methods  by  reversing 
his  decisions,  could  tolerate,  and  on  the  16th  announce- 
ment was  made  that  President  Grant  had  appointed  a 
new  Chief  Justice,  Judge  McKean  having  been  removed 
because  of  his  fanatical  and  extreme  conduct,  and 
because  of  several  acts  of  his  which  the  President  con- 
sidered ill-advised,  tyrannical,  and  in  excess  of  his  powers 
as  Judge.  Thus  sank  Judge  McKean  never  to  rise  again, 
except  to  be  detested  in  the  memory  of  a  people  for 
whom  he  harbored  a  deadly  hate.  That  feeling  has 
today  given  way  to  pity  and  forgiveness,  even  as  Presi- 
dent Young  was  magnanimous  enough  to  forgive  and  pity 
him  when  he  subjected  the  great  founder  to  what  .the 
zealous  missionary  Judge  supposed  was  a  great  humilia- 
tion. 

Of  the  Ann  Eliza  case  it  need  only  be  said  that 
when  it  came  to  trial  at  last,  April  20th  1877,  Judge 
Shaeffer  decreed  the  polygamous  marriage  between  the 
two  to  be  null  and  void,  and  he  directed  "that  all  orders 
for  temporary  alimony  which  had  not  been  complied 
with,  paid  or  collected,  be  revoked  and  annulled,  and 
assessed  the  cost  of  the  suit  against  the  defendant." 


166  THE    LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 

12.        HIS   CLOSING   YEARS. 

The  days  of  Brigham  Young  were  drawing  to  a 
close.  Until  the  last,  however,  he  was  busy  with  work 
for  the  advancement  and  welfare  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints.  Up  to  the  end,  he  was  interested  in  the  coloni- 
zation of  the  country.  Utah  was  now  dotted  in  all  parts 
with  thriving  settlements  of  Latter-day  Saints.  In  1873, 
a  move  was  made  to  colonize  Arizona.  Missionaries  from 
all  parts  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  were  called  for  this 
purpose,  and  they  met  in  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  8th  of 
March  to  receive  the  needed  instructions  of  the  great 
and  experienced  colonizer.  It  was  not  long  thereafter- 
until  organized  companies  were  seen  wending  their  way 
south.  On  being  asked  concerning  this  move,  by  some 
publisher  from  the  east,  President  Young  thus  explains 
the  motive:  "We  intend  establishing  settlements  in 
Arizona,  in  the  country  of  the  Apaches,  persuaded  that 
if  we  become  acquainted  with  them  we  can  influence 
them  to  peace  in  accordance  with  President  Grant's 
Indian  policy,  and  open  up  that  country  to  the  settle- 
ment of  the  whites.  Our  cities,  towns  and  villages  now 
extend  about  four  hundred  miles  in  that  direction,  and, 
in  view  of  the  railroad  crossing  that  country,  we  hope 
to  be  prepared  to  assist  in  its  construction,  and  when 
completed  bring  a  large  portion  of  our  emigration  that 
way  to  settle  the  country." 

The  colonizers  at  first  met  with  failure,  but  their 
efforts  resulted  in  the  experience  which  finally  led  to 
success,  and  at  present  Arizona  contains  several  Stakes 
and  many  thriving  settlements  of  the  Latter-day  Saints. 

The  founder  of  Utah  was  a  strong  advocate  and  a 
€rm  friend  of  education,  -in  its  true  sense.  "Every 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  167 

accomplishment,  "  said  he,  "every  polished  grace,  every 
useful  attainment  in  mathematics,  music,  and  in  all  scien.ce 
and  art  belong  to  the  Saints,  and  they  should  avail  them- 
selves as  expeditiously  as  possible  of  the  wealth  of 
knowledge  the  sciences  offer  to  every  diligent  and 
persevering  student."  Besides  aiding  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Deseret  University,  he  was  the  founder  of 
two  of  the  leading  educational  institutions  in  the  Terri- 
tory— the  Brigham  Young  Academy  of  Provo,  and  the 
Brigham  Young  College  of  Logan.  The  former  dates  its 
history  from  October  16,  1875,  on  which  day  the  founder 
executed  a  deed  of  trust  of  certain  buildings  and  grounds 
in  Provo  City,  to  a  board  of  seven  trustees,  with  provi- 
sions for  perpetuating  the  organization.  To  aid  in 
sustaining  the  institution  thus  founded,  he  conveyed 
other  premises  to  the  trustees,  on  his  birthday  in  1877. 

On  July  24th,  1877,  he  deeded  to  the  trustees  of   the 
Logan  institution,  which  was  that  day    founded,    a    tract . 
of  land  consisting  of  9642  acres,   located  south  of    Logan 
City,  the  rents,  profits  and  issues    of   which    were   to   be 
used  for  the  support  of  the  Brigham  Young  College.       .U**UIM< 

He  was  inspired  to  organize  the  Young  Men's  and^ 
Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  Associations,  and  to 
give  the  key  note  to  the  work  expected  of  them,  which 
work  began  in  the  summer  of  1875,  and  which  has  grown 
until  these  societies  of  the  young  now  number  among 
their  members  tens  of  thousands  of  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  Mormons.  He  took  the  liveliest  interest  in  the 
Sunday  schools,  and  the  children  who  greeted  him  with 
honor  whenever  he  appeared  in  the  settlements  of  the 
Saints  were  his  pride  and  joy  and  his  dear  friends. 
There  are  tens  of  thousands  who  have  stood  in  line  to 
greet  him,  who  now  revere  his  memory,  and  otljjer  sixty 


168  THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

thousand,  nqw  in  childhood,  who  have  learned  to  love 
his  name.* 

He  lived  to  see  completed,  and  to  dedicate,  the  first 
temple  in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  In  April, 
1877,  he  saw  the  temple  at  St.  George  fully  dedicated 
and  prepared  for  the  administration  of  holy  ordinances 
for  the  living  and  the  dead,  himself  setting  it  in  order. 

He  devoted  his  last  days  to  the  completion  of  the 
organization  of  the  Church,  setting  in  order  the  Priest- 
hood, and  organizing  the  various  Stakes  of  Zion,  accord- 
ing to  the  pattern  revealed  from  heaven,  thus  giving  a 
government  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  which  is  the  admira- 
tion of  all  who  make  it  a  study.  He  finished  this  work 
on  the  Sunday  preceding  his  death.  He  showed  the 
people  the  beauty,  helpfulness,  and  harmony  of  their 
religion,  and  in  his  constant  and  untiriffg  labors  among 
them,  he  made  the  gospel  a  "living  force,  full  of  power 
and  marvelous  beauty — "a  perfect  law  of  liberty,  compre- 
hending lite  and  light,  justice  and  judgment."  He 
visited  in  all  seasons  and  weathers,  instructing,  counsel- 
ing, advising,  correcting  and  encouraging  his  people,  on 
all  kinds  of  subjects,  simple  and  profound,  temporal  and 
spiritual,  both  in  public  and  private.  Whether  in 
matters  affecting  the  common  affairs  of  life,  or  those 
involving  the  dearest  interests  of  humanity,  in  his  inter- 
course with  the  people,  he  was  ever  kind  and  patient, 
manifesting  deep  wisdom  and  fatherly  solicitude.  Thus 


*"When  questions  pregnant  with  great  events  pressed  hard,  he  was 
able  to  build  upon  the  firm  foundation  of  wisdom  and  justice,  forecast  the* 
future,  meet  the  demands  of  the  present,  and  then  in  a  breath  show  his 
confidence  in  God,  his  freedom  from  care,  by  caressing  the  lips  of  innocent 
childhood  and  tenderly  winning  the  love  of  babes." — Moses  Thatcher. 


THE  LIFE  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  169 

he  endeared  himself  to  the  Saints,  in    whose    hearts    love 
has  deeply  enshrined  his  memory. 

Honored  and  beloved,  ripe  in  age,  surrounded  by  his 
family,  to  cheer,  wait  upon,  and  administer  to  him,  he 
passed  peacefully  to  rest.  He  died  at  4  o'clock  p.m., 
August  29th,  1577.  He  said  to  those  around  him:  "You 
are  so  good,"  and  his  last  words  were,  "Joseph,  Joseph, 
Joseph."  "His  departure  was  like  the  falling  asleep  of 
a  little  infant.  No  tremor,  no  contortions;  but  as  peace- 
ful and  as  quiet,  as  still  as  if  it  were  indeed  the  most 
gentle  slumber. " 

Over  25,000  persons  viewed  his  remains  lying  in 
state  in  the  Tabernacle,  and  over  30,000  came  from  all 
parts  of  the  Territory  to  attend  the  funeral  ceremonies 
which  were  held  on  the  2nd  of  September,  1877.  It  was 
a  fine,  calm  Sabbath  day,  and  the  sun  shone  with  beauty 
from  a  cloudless,  lovely  sky.  Memorial  services  were  held 
everywhere  throughout  the  Territory  and  wherever 
colonies  of  the  Saints  existed. 

His  mortal  remains  rest  in  a  private  cemetery,  on 
an  elevation  a  short  distance  north-east  of  the  Eagle 
Gate,  commanding  a  splendid  view  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
the  valley  south  and  wect.  There  is  no  monument  over 
his  unpretentious  grave,  possibly  from  the  fact  that  "Brig- 
ham  Young  needs  no  monument  to  perpetuate  his  name 
and  character,  save  that  which  he  himself,  by  his  own 
works  and  virtues,  has  reared  in  the  hearts  of  his  people." 

His  spirit  is  with  God  who  gave  it;  the  stamp  of 
his  genius,  his  work,  his  master  mind,  his  public-spirited- 
ness,  is  sealed  upon  every  enterprise  in  the  common- 
wealth: his  goodness,  greatness  and  large-heartedness, 
upon  every  heart  which  knew,  or  which  has  learned  to 
know  him. 
12 


170  THE   LIFE    OF  BKIGHAM    YOUNG. 

PERSONAL    CHARACTERISTICS. 

President  Brigham  Young  was  the  father  of  fifty-six 
children,  and  left  seventeen  wives,  sixteen  sons,  and 
twenty-eight  daughters,  to  perpetuate  his  name  and 
greatness  in  the  earth.  As  a  husband  and  father,  he  was 
kind  and  loving.  His  family  were  as  deeply  devoted  to 
him  as  he  was  to  them,  and  their  affection  for  him 
speaks  in  loud  praise  of  his  kindness,  goodness  and 
fatherly  care. 

In  stature,  he  was  a  little  above  the  medium  height. 
In  personal  appearance,  he  was  stately,  having  a  compact 
and  well-knit  frame,  inclined  to  portliness.  His  fea- 
tures were  a  pleasant  study,  regular,  sharp,  well-formed, 
with  clear  grey  eyes,  a  broad  forehead,  a  changeable 
expression  varying  according  to  circumstances  from  a 
smile  which  revealed  a  heart  full  of  deep  sympathy,  love 
and  affection,  to  a  stern,  cold  look  indicating  strong  will, 
self-reliance,  and  a  master  at  rebuke, — the  "Lion  of  the 
Lord,"  as  he  was  often  called.  Says  Apostle  Moses 
Thatcher:  "If  he  was  compelled  to  disappoint  anyone, 
how  kindly  he  could  explain  the  reason  for  so  doing! 
And  yet,  with  all  his  tenderness,  how  terrible  was  his 
rebuke  when  moved  upon  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  Of  his 
manner  and  address,  Bancroft  says  that  "he  was  easy 
and  void  of  affectation,  deliberate  in  speech,  conveying 
his  original  and  suggestive  ideas  in  apt  though  homely 
phrase."  Mrs.  Lippincott  (Grace  Greenwood)  says  of 
his  appearance,  in  the  Tabernacle  at  a  mass  meeting, 
that  she  was  greatly  surprised:  "I  could  not  recognize 
the  picture  so  often  and  elaborately  painted.  I  did  not 
see  a  common,  gross-looking  person,  with  rude  manners, 
nd  a  sinister,  sensual  countenance,  but  a  well  dressed, 


THE   LIFE   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG.  171 

dignified  old  gentleman,  with  a  pale,  mild  face,  a  clear 
gray  eye,  a  pleasant  smile,  a  courteous  address,  and 
withal  a  patriarchal,  paternal  air,  which  of  course  he 
comes  rightly  by.  In  short  I  could  see  in  his  face  or 
manner  none  of  the  profligate  propensities  and  the  dark 
crimes  charged  against  this  mysterious,  masterly,  many- 
sided  and  many-wived  man." 

His  actions  toward  the  sufferers  of  the  great 
Chicago  fire  illustrated  his  broad  practical  philanthropy 
with  as  much  force  as  when,  in  the  exodus,  with  his 
sick  child  in  his  arms,  he  shared  his  scanty  rations  with 
the  women  and  children  who  held  out  heir  hands  for 
bread.  When  the  news  of  this  startling  conflagration 
reached  Salt  Lake  City,  his  response  with  that  of  his 
people  to  the  call  for  relief  was  as  hearty  as  it  was 
generous.  In  the  midst  of  severe  persecution,  brought 
about  by  Judge  McKean,  he  set  his  own  difficulties 
aside,  and  headed  the  subscription  list  of  Utah's  relief 
offering  to  the  Chicago  sufferers,  amounting  to  about 
$20,000,  with  a  donation  of  $1,000.  Says  Grace  Green- 
wood, who  was  in  the  city  of  the  Saints  at  the  time: 
"There  is  to  me,  I  must  acknowledge,  in  this  prompt 
and  liberal  action  of  the  Mormon  people,  something 
strange  and  touching.  It  is  Hagar  ministering  to  Sarah; 
it  is  Ishmael  giving  a  brotherly  lift  to  Isaac." 

In  language,  President  Young  was  outspoken  and 
plain;  he  never  minced  matters  with  anyone,  high  or 
low,  nor  treated  the  simplest  honest  member  of  the 
Church  with  less  deference  than  the  greatest  of  the  many 
distinguished  men  and  women  who  called  upon  him 
from  all  parts  of  the  earth.  He  spoke  openly,  and  none 
could  mistake  his  meaning.  Says  Judge  Hosea  Stout: 
"He  does  all  his  sly  deeds  before  the  assembled 


172  THE    LIFE    OF   BBIGHAM    YOUNG. 

multitude.  I  defy  any  man  to  produce 

one  solitary  example  of  chicanery  or  double-dealing  in 
his  character  or  career."  Burton  says :  "His  manner  is 
at  once  affable  and  impressive,  simple  and  courteous,— 
shows  no  sign  of  dogmatism, — impresses  the  stranger 
with  a  certain  sense  of  power." 

He  'had  an  excellent  .memory,  and  was  a  good  judge 
of  character.  His  mind  was  as  capable  of  grasping  and 
deciding  upon  great  questions  as  it  was  fitted  to  direct  in 
the  smallest  details  of  life's  everyday  affairs.  Says  Apostle 
Thatcher:  "The  scope  of  his  mind  seemed  limitless.  * 
He  could  speak  the  language  of  the  stars, 
discourse  eloquently  regarding  the  organization  of  worlds; 
and  then  in  simple  terms  direct  how  to  plow  and  plant, 
reap  and  sow."  At  his  funeral,  President  George  Q. 
Cannon  said  that  "he  has  been  .  the  brain,  the  eye,  the 
ear,  the  mouth  and  hand  for  the  entire  people  of  the 
Church.  Nothing  was  too  small  for  his 

mind;  nothing  was  too  large.  His  mind  was  of  that 
character  that  it  could  grasp  the  greatest  subjects,  and 
yet  it  had  the  capacity  to  descend  to  the  minutest 
details." 

His  sermons  were  as  practical  and  full  of  common 
sense,  as  his  demeanor  was  calm  and  devoid  of  extrava- 
gance and  affectation.  He  discussed  upon  the  highest 
philosophy  and  upon  doctrine  the  most  profound,  but  in 
the  same  sermon,  taught  his  hearers  how  to  beautify  their 
homes,  how  to  build  cities,  how  to  redeem  the  desert. 
The  embodiment  of  his  religion  was  to  do  good  here  upon 
this  earth,  and  he  put  his  doctrine  into  practice.  "The 
Lord  does  not  thank  you  for  j'our  alms,  "said  he,  "long 
prayers,  sanctimonious  speeches  and  long  faces,  if  you 
refuse  to  extend  the  hand  of  benevolence  and  charity  to 


THE   LIFE   OF   BtflGHAM   YOUNG.  173 

your  fellow-creatures,  and  lift  them  up,  and  encourge  and 
strengthen  the  feeble. " 

The  people,  from  whom  he  sprung,  and  with  whom 
he  had  always  mingled,  sought  his  advice  for  its  wisdom 
and  moderation,  and  loved  him  for  his  hearty,  genial,  lofty 
soul,  no  less  than  for  his  conscientious  course  and  deep 
convictions  of  right  and  justice,  "He  has  had  to  settle 
difficulties  with  thousands,  and  where  is  the  man,  Mormon 
or  anti-Mormon,  who  ever  appealed  to  him  for  the 
decision  of  a  case  but  was  satisfied  with  the  result?" 

He  had  faults,  because  he  was  mortal  and  doubtless 
these  appeared  grave  to  his  enemies,  who  were  many  and 
bitter;  but  his  virtues  swallowed  them  up,  and  time  is 
reducing  the  animus*  of  his  diminishing  foes  to  give  place 
to  the  admiration  of  his  increasing  hosts  of  friends. 
Ranking  among  the  immortal  benefactors  of  his  race,  his 
defects  need  no  apologies,  as  his  character  needs  no 
chiseled  monument  to  mark  its  greatness. 

In  the  whole  mountain  region  of  the  west,  we  see 
the  traces  of  his  marvelous  genius  and  his  still  more 
wonderful'  influence  on  the  minds  of  his  people,  their 
organizations  and  institutions.  He  stamped  his  opinions 
on  his  day  and  age,  and  succeeding  generations,  gazing 
through  the  clarifying  glasses  of  time,  will  know  the  truth 
even  better  than  we,  and  link  his  name  with  the  greatest 
and  the  noblest  characters  of  earth. 


bool^5  ai}d   pamphlets  are  printed  apd 

GEORGE  Q,  CANNON  &  SONS  CO,, 

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written  chapters,  with  appendix  giving  scriptural 
references,  by  Charles  W.  Penrose, 25 

HISTORY  OF  THE  MORMONS  AND  MANIFESTO  IN  REGARD 
TO  POLYGAMY 05 

MR.  DURANT  OF  SALT  LAKE  CITY,  "THAT  MORMON," 
by  Ben  E.  Rich, - 1.25 

WHY  WE  PRACTICE  PLURAL  MRRRIAGE,  by  a  Mor- 
mon wife  and  mother — Helen  Mar  Whitney,  paper 
cover, 25 

MORGAN'S  TRACTS,  Nos.  1  and    2,  on    the    Doctrines 

\    of  th e  Gospel,   each 08 

THE  MODERN  PROPHET,  evidences  of  the  divine 
mission  of  Joseph  Smith, 03 

SPENCER'S  LETTERS,  exhibiting  the  most  prominent 
doctrines  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  morocco,  gilt, 
$2.25;  calf  grain,  gilt,  $1.60;  roan,  $1.25;  cloth,  1.00 

HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCH  OK  THE  SALT 
LAKE  TEMPLE,  including  the  dedicatory  prayer.  ..  .10 


PRICE-LIST    OF'MOKMON    PDBLICATIO1 

DOES    THE    BIBLE  SANCTION   POLYGAMY?   a  discussion 
between  Elder  Orson    Pratt    and    JJr.    J.    P.    New- 
man, to  which  is  added  three  discourses  on  celes-    • 
tial  marriage  by    Elders    Orson  Pratt,    George    A. 
Smith  and    George  Q.  Cannon 23 

WONDERLANDS  OF  THE  WILD  WEST,  Description  of 
Life  among  the  Mormons,  by  ex-U.  S.  Commis- 
sioner to  Utah,  Hon.  A.  B.  Carlton.  cloth 2.  uo 

THE  MARTYRS,  an  account  of  the  martyrdom  of  Jos- 
eph and  Hyrum  Smith,  with  steel  engravings  of 
these  noble  men,  by  L.  O.  Littleneld 3i> 

CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS,  containing  views  and  descrip- 
tions of  principal  points  of  intrest  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  also  brief  sketches  of  history  and  religion  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints 25 

FROM  KIRTLAND  TO  SALT  LAKE,  an  account  of  the 
journeyings,  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  from  the 
organization  of  the  Church  to  the  present  time, 
by  James  A.  Little,  262  pages,  (illustrated)  lea- 
ther, extra  gilt.  2.3<»:  leather,  gilt,  2.00;  cloth,  ..  l.:>u 

FORTY  YEARS  AMONG  THE  INDIANS,  by  Daniel  W. 
Jones,  400  pages,  leather  gilt,  3.00;  leather,  2.50: 
cloth 2.  no 

WHITNEY'S  HISTORY  OF  UTAH.  Sold  on  subscription 
only. 

FOR    SALE    BY 

GEORGE  Q.  CANNON  &  SONS  CO.,  SALT  LAKE  CITY, 

OR 
A.  H.  CANNON,  P.  O.  Box  N,  OGDEN,  UTAH. 


A  BRIEP  HISTORY 
OF  THE  CHURCH. 


From  the  Birth  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
to  :   :  lime,    •*    & 

Paper,  postpal  I  -  5 

Cloth,  postpaid,.  .y     ' 

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REVELATION  ON  CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE 

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THE  CITY  OF  THE 
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Containing  views  and  descriptions  of  principal  points  of 
interest  in  SALT  LAKE  CITY  AND  VICINITY 


•ALSO- 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  HISTORY  AND  RE- 
LIGION or  THE  mrreR-DAY  SAINTS. 

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